Washington University, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Spending Big to Light Up the Streets

Washington University, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Spending Big to Light Up the Streets

{a snapshot of the variety of lights to be found in just one block within the WU/BJC campus}

There are a lot of lights on the WU/BJC medical campus, or at least there are a wide variety of lights. On just one block of Taylor Avenue no fewer than 10 varieties of street, pedestrian and parking lighting can be seen. Now it appears that the campus may be settling on a dominant design.

Taylor, Clayton, McKinley and Newstead Avenues are receiving dozens of pedestrian and traffic street lamps. It appears that cast iron replica historic street lamps will the standard pedestrian light while green-painted traditional cobra head traffic lights are added as well.


{the street light and pedestrian light combination being installed}

The streets within the medical campus are not wide and I wonder why the cobra head lights were needed. I also wonder what future plans are for sidewalk treatment as the new lights occupy approximately 18 inches in the center of a 40-inch sidewalk. This is a poor solution and if this is indeed going to be the final arrangement it’s clear that much more should have been spent on making the sidewalks themselves usable. It’s frustrating to see one problem replaced by another.

Whether you like or dislike the new lighting it’s a positive step towards greater safety in and around the campus and will hopefully create a more cohesive look to the area.


{the highlighted streets are getting new lights with more likely to come}

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