September 9, 2025
"Augusta is always looking for ways to push our community into the future... We were drawn to this product due to its design, practicality, functionality, and warranty. As of now, we have installed the Fonroche Street lights along a major roadway to high community praise, with two more installations planned for the future."
Project Summary
Project: Augusta Corridor Lighting – Windsor Spring Road
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Stakeholders: City of Augusta Traffic Engineering + Fonroche Lighting America
Challenge: Unlit commuter corridor, $2M budget deficit, grid lighting infeasible
Solution: Off-grid solar lighting using SmartLight Essential with Power 365
Impact: 42 lights installed over ¾ mile, safer crossings, community praise, 2 more projects planned
Technology: Fonroche SmartLight Essential, Power 365 energy system
Status: Operational
Lighting a Safer Corridor in Augusta, Georgia
Windsor Spring Road, a key commuter corridor in Augusta, Georgia, lacked adequate nighttime lighting, posing safety concerns for both drivers and pedestrians. Yet the city faced a $2 million deficit in its streetlight fund, making traditional grid-tied lighting financially and logistically unfeasible.
To address these challenges, Augusta’s Traffic Engineering Department partnered with Fonroche Lighting America to install 42 SmartLight Essential units along a ¾-mile stretch of Windsor Spring Road. These off-grid solar lights were deployed quickly without trenching or utility tie-ins, minimizing disruption while maximizing safety.
The project was described by city engineers as a “test case,” one that quickly validated solar as a viable citywide strategy. Building on its success, Augusta expanded to Wrightsboro Road, replacing outdated grid-tied fixtures with 92 SmartLight Essential units along a busy commercial and residential corridor.
With zero utility costs, maintenance-free performance, and strong public support, Augusta’s solar program now demonstrates how municipalities can use grid-free lighting to both fill critical coverage gaps and modernize existing infrastructure, creating a sustainable, scalable model for roadway safety across Georgia.
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The Problem: Budget Deficits, Unsafe Roads, and Grid Limitations
Windsor Spring Road:-
A ¾-mile stretch of Windsor Spring Road, one of Augusta’s busiest commuter corridors, remained completely unlit despite heavy use by drivers, school buses, and pedestrians. In low-visibility conditions, the corridor became a hotspot for near-misses and unsafe crossings. Yet the city’s streetlight program was operating under a $2 million budget deficit, making traditional grid-tied lighting financially and logistically unfeasible. Costly trenching, permitting, and utility coordination further delayed the possibility of delivering a timely solution.
Wrightsboro Road:-
While Windsor Spring lacked lighting entirely, Wrightsboro Road faced the opposite challenge: outdated grid-connected lights that were expensive to maintain and inefficient to operate. The City sought to replace this ageing infrastructure with a more sustainable, cost-effective system that could provide all-night peak lighting comparable to grid standards while avoiding ongoing utility bills and recurring maintenance. Site constraints such as tree cover and billboards further complicated the project, requiring a flexible, off-grid solution
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Solution: Grid-Free Lighting Delivered on a Fast Track
To address urgent safety concerns without relying on traditional infrastructure, Augusta turned to Fonroche Lighting America for an off-grid solution that could deploy quickly and operate autonomously.
Phase 1: Windsor Spring Road
Augusta partnered with Fonroche Lighting America to install 42 SmartLight Essential units along a ¾-mile stretch of Windsor Spring Road, a corridor identified as high-risk due to poor nighttime visibility. Powered by Power 365™, the lights deliver 365 nights of guaranteed illumination, even under tree canopy or in variable weather. The trenchless, direct-burial design avoided costly trenching and utility coordination, enabling a smooth rollout completed by June 25, 2024.
Phase 2: Wrightsboro Road
Following the pilot’s success, Augusta expanded deployment to Wrightsboro Road, replacing ageing grid-tied fixtures with 92 SmartLight Essential units. Using 25-foot poles spaced ~200 feet apart, the systems provide all-night peak illumination at 4000K in compliance with AASHTO standards. Like Windsor Spring, the trenchless installation eliminated grid tie-ins and outages, cutting costs while upgrading roadway safety.
Key system features across both projects:
- 25-foot direct-burial poles, optimized for coverage
- 4000K full-cutoff LED fixtures for safe, uniform visibility
- Maintenance-free operation for 10+ years
- 100% grid-free design, eliminating utility bills and service delays
Deployment: 42 SmartLights Installed Along Windsor Spring Road
Phase 1: Windsor Spring Road
The City of Augusta selected Windsor Spring Road as the pilot corridor due to its high commuter traffic, lack of existing lighting, and community safety concerns. Fonroche installed 42 SmartLight Essential systems using 25-foot direct-burial poles spaced approximately 200 feet apart. The trenchless, off-grid rollout required no electrical permits or utility tie-ins, with lighting fully operational by June 25, 2024.
The deployment covered the corridor between:
- Meadow Brook Drive
- Crosscreek Road
Phase 2: Wrightsboro Road
Augusta expanded to Wrightsboro Road, replacing aging grid lights with 92 SmartLight Essential units on 25-foot poles spaced ~200 feet apart. The trenchless installation delivered all-night peak illumination at 4000K to AASHTO standards, while reducing disruption and ongoing utility costs.
The deployment covered the corridor between:
- Jackson Road
-
Damascus Road
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Results: Safer Streets, Scalable Savings, Strong Public Support
Improved Corridor Safety
On Windsor Spring Road, dusk-to-dawn solar lighting now provides continuous visibility for drivers, school buses, and pedestrians, transforming what was once a dark, high-risk corridor. On Wrightsboro Road, the replacement of outdated grid-tied fixtures with off-grid SmartLights has improved nighttime safety across a busy commercial and residential route.
Community Confidence and Validation
The Windsor Spring project validated solar lighting as a cost-effective means of addressing unlit, high-risk corridors without burdening the city’s budget. Building on that success, the Wrightsboro Road deployment demonstrated Augusta’s ability to scale the same solution to a much larger, more complex roadway, replacing outdated grid-tied fixtures with off-grid SmartLights that deliver grid-comparable performance. Together, the two phases proved that solar lighting is not just a pilot or one-off fix, but a repeatable, citywide strategy. With both safety gains and financial relief realised, Augusta has positioned itself as a leader in Georgia for sustainable roadway infrastructure.
Operational and Fiscal Relief
Fonroche’s SmartLight Essential system provides Augusta with true lighting independence, avoiding trenching, grid tie-ins, and recurring monthly utility bills. On Windsor Spring Road, the city was able to close critical safety gaps without worsening its $2M streetlight budget deficit. On Wrightsboro Road, outdated grid-connected fixtures were replaced with off-grid SmartLights, eliminating utility bills and long-term maintenance expenses.
Additional outcomes include:
- No utility costs or electrical connection fees
- Elimination of recurring O&M burdens
- Over 10 years of maintenance-free operation
- Budget relief supporting both deficit recovery and reinvestment in new projects
For Augusta’s public works team, the two projects together delivered immediate results and long-term fiscal relief, ensuring safer streets without straining the city’s general fund.
Conclusion: A Model for Sustainable Lighting Across Georgia
The Windsor Spring Road project showed how Augusta could deliver safe, sustainable lighting to a previously unlit and high-risk corridor without compromising on performance. The success of that pilot paved the way for Wrightsboro Road, where the city modernized a busy commercial and residential artery by replacing ageing grid-tied fixtures with resilient, off-grid SmartLights.
Together, these projects prove that solar street lighting is not just a one-time fix but a scalable citywide strategy, equally effective for filling coverage gaps and for retrofitting outdated infrastructure. By avoiding costly trenching, bypassing utility delays, and eliminating long-term energy costs, Augusta has set a clear precedent for how Georgia cities can tackle budget challenges, improve public safety, and lead with resilient infrastructure solutions.
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