Case Study: City of Ann Arbor achieves 137% funding increase and improved streetlight safety with Brightly Software

The City of Ann Arbor, MI Increased funding and visibility

The City of Ann Arbor, MI, faced a backlog of streetlight repairs and new installations after lifting a moratorium, but its existing $300K infrastructure budget was insufficient to both maintain assets and expand lighting to improve pedestrian safety. City staff needed clear, data-driven priorities to justify increased capital funding and to decide whether to repair older lights or add new ones.

Working with OHM Advisors and using Brightly Predictor, the city ran a 25-year multicomponent analysis of electrical, luminaire, post, and foundation assets and modeled four scenarios. Built in eight weeks, the model identified an optimal plan—raising annual streetlight investment to $710K and adding 30 new lights per year—which helped secure a 137% funding increase; the city also saved IT costs by leveraging existing software and is on track to keep end-of-life lights at ≤10% and improve safety.

City of Ann Arbor

Chris Elenbaas

PE Public Works Engineer