The problems of light pollution first became an issue in the 1970s when astronomers identified the degradation of the night sky due to the increase in lighting associated with development and growth. As more impacts to the environment by lighting have been identified, many attempts have been made for reducing light pollutions. To prevent light pollution and increase energy efficiency, Seoul Metropolitan Government(SMG) replaced metal halide road lighting to LED luminaire in four arterial highway in Seoul. The present study compared the lighting characteristics of metal halide and LED luminaire in terms of Korea Standard for road lighting(KS A 3701) and BUG rating from Illuminating Engineering Society of North America(IESNA). The results showed that LED luminaire increased road surface luminance up to 2 times in average compared to the metal halide environment. Also, LED luminaire reduced the glare value by 2 times and luminous flux over 50% than the metal halide luminaire. In comparison with the BUG ratings, LED luminaire rated 1 degree lower for the backlight ratings and 3-4 degrees lower for the uplight ratings. The measured values testified that the LED luminaire is effective for roadway lighting and light pollution reduction.