November 14, 2025 | From City of New Orleans
City Brings Streetlight Operations In-House, Improving Efficiency and Accountability
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The Department of Public Works (DPW) has modernized how it manages more than 51,000 streetlights citywide, improving efficiency and saving taxpayer dollars through a new in-house operations model.
In August 2025, DPW staff completed training on the City’s new Asset Management System, which enables real-time tracking, streamilined maintenance scheduling, and inspection reporting. The City officially resumed in-house streetlight operations on September 19, 2025, marking a major milestone in strengthening service reliability, accountability, and cost control.
By managing the system internally, the City has reduced its dependence on outside contractors and optimized resources. The new workflow automates work orders, verifies completed repairs through digital inspection reports, and tracks citywide lighting conditions across all neighborhoods.
Although routine repairs briefly paused due to funding constraints, work resumed in October 2025 once contractor crews were trained in the new system. Since then, inspectors have investigated 1,294 outage requests, identified 1,529 total outages, and completed nearly 800 maintenance repairs, all coordinated through the City’s automated system.
These improvements establish a strong foundation for the upcoming 2026 Streetlight Master Plan, which will identify service gaps, guide long-term citywide upgrades, and recommend sustainable funding strategies.