LEDs at work

Due to budget problems of one sort or another, Binghamton has resorted to using and reusing old signals for one function or another. This intersection is a typical installation that one can find in residential areas throughout the city.

Bevier and Brownson streets,
the North Side

In 2001, Binghamton retrofitted its traffic lights with red and green LED lenses for its traffic signals in an effort to save on electric bills (since LEDS consume less electricity). This cost-saving measure is even applied to the Art Deco, Syracuse-style (bracketed) four-way signal positioned in the middle; the other two signals date (no doubt) from the early 1970s, when Binghamton installed a number of new signals.

Another notable feature of this intersection is that old suspension poles, which were probably used downtown, are reused for residential intersections. Until the 1980s, a similar four-way Art Deco (Syracuse-style) hung from a guywire-suspended mast arm that was attached to a telephone pole. Photo taken 31 March 2002.