Berlin’s 37,000 crumbling streetlight poles face decades-long replacement crisis

Berlin’s 37,000 crumbling streetlight poles face decades-long replacement crisis

Berlin's aging streetlight infrastructure is a pressing issue. The city, home to 225,000 streetlights, is facing a significant backlog in replacing old poles. The task is ongoing but slow due to the sheer volume of work. Currently, around 37,000 of Berlin's 190,000 light poles are over 50 years old and in urgent need of replacement. The city is tackling this issue, with the Senate Department for Environment, Transport, and Climate Protection overseeing the project. In 2024, 1,400 streetlight poles were renewed, and by mid-2025, roughly 600 have been replaced. However, the process is slow, with a single Berlin construction company responsible for around 600 renewals this year. The city acknowledges the scale of the problem and the time it will take to address it. Replacing Berlin's aging streetlight poles is a massive undertaking that will take years to complete. The city is committed to the task, with around 600 poles renewed so far this year. However, the backlog is significant, with over 37,000 poles over 50 years old needing replacement in the medium term.