The city of Chelsea is lighting the way for emergency responders at night.

The city recently completed a project to install street lights at about 20 previously unlit intersections.

Councilmember Mike Denton said the project is intended to ensure the safety of sheriff’s deputies and rescue responders.

“The primary purpose is so that emergency responders, such as the fire department and EMTs, can easily find the entrances to subdivisions,” Denton said. “There are some subdivisions out there that are very well lighted already, so we didn’t light those.”

The city has a contract with Alabama Power to maintain the street lights.

Chelsea Mayor Earl Niven said the city would pay $25 a month per street light for maintenance.

Niven said the city’s emergency responders suggested the improvements.

“If they bypassed a street entrance, they either had to turn around or come back. It was a need we were looking at to provide a faster service,” he said. “The main thing was to provide safer and faster service for our response units, the fire department, the COPs, the Sheriff’s Department, in order to see the entrance into subdivisions.”

Citizens have also benefited from the improvements.

“We’ve had some good response from passersby and people living in subdivisions,” Niven said. “They were pleased they had a better view of the entrance.”