The City of San Diego has nabbed $3.5 million bucks in federal grants to yank out some ancient streetlights and hammer in new ones, promising to shine a brighter future for folks in Logan Heights and Pacific Beach. The loot, coughed up by Uncle Sam's Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will trash the old-timey series circuits dating back to Al Capone's heyday, replacing them with snazzy modern units that won't break down every time you sneeze.

According to InsideSD, Garnet Avenue and Logan Avenue are first in line to get this makeover, and they were picked out from a sad bunch of 42 spots begging for a revamp; Bethany Bezak, the bigwig at San Diego’s Transportation Department, says this is going to crank up reliability and tone down the blackout blues big time, giving the neighborhoods a much-needed boost.

They'll chuck the old incandescent bulbs for LED lamps—slimming down the energy tab and sticking it to carbon emissions, Bezak tossed out in a yarn to InsideSD. It's all part of a grand plan to make San Diego a green queen, shooting for the stars in its Climate Action Plan. The dough will cover all the dirty work: digging, laying down new cable, and setting up poles and light fixtures to ensure it's not just the lucky hit-the-jackpot houses that see where they're going at night.

Logan Avenue's setup will cost about $1.9 million for a measly 29 lights. Over on Garnet Avenue, you’re looking at north of five mil for 77 streetlights, and both jobs will stick around for two years in design and construction. Once the Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee folks have had their say, it'll be the City Council's turn to stamp the deal.