Hydro replacing vintage street lights in River Heights, Wolseley

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This article was published 25/06/2019 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They’ve been around since before the Second World War but the lights are quickly going off on the vintage green street lights along residential streets in River Heights and the Wolseley area.

Manitoba Hydro has hired a private contractor to remove and replace all of the 200 existing street lights with new ones which not only have LED lighting, but also mimic the original design to keep with the character of both neighbourhoods.

“We’re sad to see them go, but there wasn’t much we could do,” Sam Fay, the utility’s roadway lights conversion project coordinator, said Tuesday as the base of one pole, connected to about a metre deep of concrete, was pulled out of the ground by a piece of heavy equipment.

“It’s possible these are the oldest street lights in Manitoba… but they have been on borrowed time. They were held together by rods and some are pretty corroded.”

The lights are located in River Heights between Beaverbrook and Oxford Streets, and Wellington Crescent and Grosvenor Avenue and in pockets of the Wolseley area, mostly between Basswood Place to Maryland Street and Portage Avenue to Palmerston Avenue. There are also a few being replaced on Sherburn Street north of Portage Avenue.

Fay said while the old street lights were made of cast iron and connected to concrete buried underground, the new poles going in are entirely made of concrete from the base underground to the pole itself.

He said while the top is an octagonal lamp cover, similar to the old ones, the new poles now offer the ability to change the lamp to any style, including the arched ones which are at the side of many streets.

Fay said the new streetlights cost about $2,000 apiece, compared to $1,200 for a standard metal street light.

He said there are no plans to replace the streetlights which have already been used in years past to replace individual vintage green ones.

Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen said they hope to assemble one or two light standards, from the various ones being removed, to present to Heritage Winnipeg so they can be preserved.

Cindy Tugwell, Heritage Winnipeg’s executive director said she is pleased the utility is spending the extra money to install street lights that fit the character of the community.

“I like the statement Manitoba Hydro recognizes historical areas, character areas, need these kinds of things,” Tugwell said.

“We want the streetscape maintained… I think they look great.”

Tugwell said they haven’t had a chance to figure out where they will be able to display one or two of the streetlights.

“We haven’t got that far yet,” she said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca