Work has begun on the first stage of a major $1.8 million project to upgrade footpath lighting along Summer Street and north along Anson Street to the new DPI building.

In the first stage of the project, contractors have begun digging a trench to install conduits along Anson Street, which will be followed by the installation of pole-mounted lights from the CBD to Prince Street.

The work in Anson Street is expected to be completed by May.

Poles will be installed about every 15 metres along the footpath on the eastern side of the street.

Orange Mayor Reg Kidd believes the new lighting will be a major boost for the convenience and safety of people walking through that neighbourhood and improve the link between two parts of the CBD.

"Once the new DPI office opens later this year, there's going to be a lot more foot traffic of people moving between there and Summer Street," Cr Reg Kidd said.

"We want to make that pathway as attractive as we can to encourage people to come and go between those two centres."

Orange City Council Infrastructure Committee chair Cr Jeff Whitton said contractors will be doing their best to keep the potential disruption for each household to less than one day.

"The contractors will be keeping the inconvenience for householders along Anson Street to a minimum," Cr Jeff Whitton said.

"Weather permitting, in the section in front of each house, they can dig the trench alongside the footpath, install two electrical conduits, and then re-fill the trench all in the same day. So that's going to limit the impact for the residents.

"There will be a little more disruption when crews cut through driveways to lay the cable, however the contractor will be working hard to keep inconvenience to a minimum."

Once the cabling is complete from the southern side of Prince Street to the final location nearby the Lord Anson Hotel, the first poles will start to be installed.

Stage two of the footpath lighting project will see new footpath lighting installed on both sides of Summer Street between Sale St and McNamarra Street.

Letters are about to be sent to business operators in the affected area of Summer Street outlining plans for the project.

The tender was awarded to Dubbo-based lighting firm JLE Electrical (Large Industries Pty Ltd).