Lighting the Way to a More Sustainable Future

Across North Carolina, mercury vapor streetlights have long illuminated the nighttime landscape for neighborhoods, roadways, and communities.

As years have passed, the lights have begun to show their age by flickering inconsistently, requiring frequent maintenance, and falling short of modern energy standards. Recognized by their bluish glow, these aging fixtures have become largely obsolete as advancements in lighting efficiency and environmental regulations have raised performance expectations. In response to a North Carolina Utilities Commission mandate requiring the removal of all mercury vapor lights by the end of 2024, Duke Energy launched the Lighting Modernization Program, a statewide initiative to replace outdated fixtures with energy-efficient Light-Emitting Diode (LED) technology. The program was created to address environmental concerns, meet regulatory shifts, and mitigate the challenges of maintaining obsolete infrastructure, setting the stage for a thoughtful transition to more sustainable lighting.

To make this transition a reality, KCI was tasked with auditing, designing, and replacing 5,500 mercury vapor lights throughout the Piedmont Triad, an area that includes the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. With an all-hands-on-deck mentality, the team began by conducting site assessments at designated mercury vapor lighting locations, identifying the number of lights and poles requiring replacement, evaluating ease of access to each light location, and reviewing right-of-way restrictions for onsite project safety.

Once these details were effectively organized, the team began conducting comprehensive lighting analyses across all identified units. KCI’s engineers conducted audits at each site to verify the light type, wattage, and color uniformity, ensuring that every job design was precisely tailored to meet the specific needs of each unit. To ensure accuracy and accountability, the team used ArcGIS field maps and internal tracking tools to monitor every step of the process, from field verification and design completion to crew installation and closeout. Weekly updates with Duke Energy managers kept all stakeholders informed and aligned as progress advanced.

Our detailed approach and transparent communication quickly earned the client’s confidence, prompting Duke to scale up the initial project scope to include 12,000 additional lights statewide. In support of this larger effort, KCI increased its project team from 18 to 48 professionals, drawing expertise from multiple offices to maintain consistency and efficiency. The firm’s coordinated effort exemplified the value of cross-office collaboration, enabling seamless delivery without compromising schedule or quality.

The project continued steadily, progressing on schedule until North Carolina was impacted by the unprecedented destruction of Hurricane Helene. Sweeping the state, the storm’s magnitude marked the deadliest and costliest natural disaster in the state’s history, causing over $59.6 billion in widespread infrastructural damages and halting work statewide. To support recovery efforts, KCI’s lighting team temporarily pivoted to provide emergency relief and restoration efforts, prioritizing cleanup and repair in the wake of the catastrophe. Additional employees from KCI’s other service lines also mobilized to contribute to statewide restoration efforts, deploying five total teams for three weeks. Although the pause delayed progress, our team remained committed to meeting the state’s lighting compliance deadline. After operations resumed, Duke Energy approved limited overtime for the final stretch of the mercury vapor replacement project, enabling the team to recover lost time and keep production running smoothly.

By early December, KCI completed the replacement of all 17,000 mercury vapor lights across North Carolina, three weeks ahead of the state’s original mandated deadline without needing to utilize the schedule extension. Through disciplined planning, adaptive resource management, and close coordination with Duke Energy, the team achieved every project milestone despite unprecedented challenges. The successful delivery of the initiative reinforced our team’s reputation for delivering high-quality, large-scale projects despite tight deadlines and unprecedented disruptions.

The finalized project was received by stakeholders and the community enthusiastically. The newly installed LED lights provided enhanced visibility and safety for affected communities. The initiative brought about numerous other benefits aside from visual improvements, including contributing directly to sustainability and environmental conservation through lower energy consumption. Consequently, resulting from the reduction in expenditure, local customers and municipalities also benefitted from lower energy costs.

Beyond the initiative’s direct impact on local communities throughout North Carolina, the project’s success further exemplified KCI’s proactive involvement with clean energy initiatives. As a direct result of the successful execution, the team was invited to lead a similar initiative, replacing 30,000 non-LED lights for the City of Winston-Salem. The repeat engagement underscored Duke’s satisfaction and trust in KCI’s demonstrated expertise, further solidifying the firm’s reliability as a key partner for future large-scale infrastructure and energy transition projects. By combining technical expertise with responsive teamwork, KCI continues to help clients illuminate the path toward a brighter, cleaner, and more sustainable future.