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LED Lighting on freeways...

Started by thenetwork, December 27, 2014, 06:42:57 PM

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thenetwork

I was out on I-70 in Western Colorado the other night, and noticed that very recently C-DOT has been on a roll replacing sodium-vapor lamps with white LED lighting in existing cobra head light fixtures.

Granted the overhead lights are only installed around exit ramps (not continuously like in urban areas), but I was surprised that nearly all C-DOT maintained lights on not only I-70, but on some of the older overheads along BL-70 around Grand Junction as well, are now LED converted fixtures.

Are there any other larger-scale overhead LED freeway lighting projects that have been completed as of late in your neck of the woods?

BTW, I like the "cooler" look of the new LEDs over the sodium vapors.  I remember when ODOT was replacing the mercury-vapors with the then-trendy sodiums on all the freeways in Ohio back in the early 80s and hated the "warmer" glow of the sodiums.





UCFKnights

On a recent roadtrip, I noticed in I think it was one of the Carolinas they had some LED lighting on the freeways. They replaced the entire poles and heads, but it seemed to be very few and scattered with no organized. I only saw a few of them, so its possible they decided to buy LEDs as replacement to broken/damaged fixtures. Looked funny with only 1 LED and a bunch of sodium lights down a line.

SteveG1988

Would be interesting to see someone make a BGS with LEDs like button copy.
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

cl94

NYSTA replaced lamps on I-190 in Buffalo between MM 0.0 and 2.2 with LED fixtures. Formerly, all south of Grand Island were this type of sodium fixture.

Slightly off topic, but I-190 (both at the extreme southern end and in Tonawanda) is one of the only two expressways in Region 5 outside of the City of Buffalo to feature non-bridge lighting of any sort (other is NY 33 west of I-90).
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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lordsutch

Quote from: SteveG1988 on December 27, 2014, 09:49:04 PM
Would be interesting to see someone make a BGS with LEDs like button copy.

It'd be an interesting way to blind passing motorists, at least.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: thenetwork on December 27, 2014, 06:42:57 PM
I was out on I-70 in Western Colorado the other night, and noticed that very recently C-DOT has been on a roll replacing sodium-vapor lamps with white LED lighting in existing cobra head light fixtures.

I noticed some of those when I drove that part of I-70 in September (first time I have driven that part of I-70, so I have no basis of comparison).

Maryland has been installing LEDs in places on its Interstate network, though some appear to be inoperable after installation (though I do not know if that is due to underground cable faults or something else).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

roadfro

With the I-80 design build project in Reno-Sparks, NV a few years ago, NDOT replaced all of the cobra head light fixtures along the ramps (and a short stretch of the freeway in Sparks that has continuous lighting) with LED fixtures. This project removed a bunch of lighting from overhead BGSs, but the few lighted signs that remain now have LED light fixtures.

Additionally, NDOT has replaced the vast majority of the street lighting fixtures on I-80 ramps statewide. I think they have also replaced most if not all fixtures on the freeway portions of US 395.

Interestingly, there's not many (if any) LED lights along freeways in southern Nevada.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

cbeach40

Lots in Ontario, especially within MTO's West Region. Lots of conventional lighting retrofitting, and new installations of that. Some minimal amount of high mast lighting being done LED. AsphaltPlanet was mentioning to me the other day about a large installation of it on Hwy 417 in Ottawa that was recently installed.

There is some moderate intention to upgrade to LED across the board, but there isn't really a timeline on that.
and waterrrrrrr!

Pete from Boston

NJ Tpk has them on the newly rebuilt section.

jcn

Most of the interchanges on I-95 in Maryland has LED lights now, and the Fort McHenry tunnel is currently replacing its fluorescent lights with LED's.  Also, new LED high masts are being put up at the I-95/295/495 interchange in Delaware.   

US 89

#10
UDOT has done the same with several sections of high-mast lighting on I-15 through Salt Lake City, and many cobra head lights have also been similarly replaced.

renegade

Quote from: SteveG1988 on December 27, 2014, 09:49:04 PM
Would be interesting to see someone make a BGS with LEDs like button copy.
Like the OPEN and CLOSED indicators at weigh stations ?
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

Great Lakes Roads

I know this for a fact that ALMOST all of the Illinois Tollway's lights are now LEDs... Drive on Interstate 90 and you will be surprised that the LEDs goes from Chicago to Rockford... Only a couple sections of the Illinois Tollway (i.e. I-294 between 95th Street and Balmoral Avenue- they will get the LEDs when they start redoing that section of the toll road) haven't changed the lights out yet...

mgk920

WisDOT has been actively replacing the HPSes with 5000K LEDs at the surface street intersections that they control here in the Appleton, WI area.

I'm not a fan of 5000K color temp lamps, I consider them to be too harsh.  I do like the 2500-3000K lamps that have been done in scattered places elsewhere, though.

Mike

Bitmapped

WVDOH has been using LEDs on new installations for about 3 years, including cobra heads, high masts, and sign lighting. A lot of existing high mast lighting has been converted, along with isolated intersections and interchanges being changed over.

roadfro

Quote from: roadfro on December 29, 2014, 08:23:03 PM
With the I-80 design build project in Reno-Sparks, NV a few years ago, NDOT replaced all of the cobra head light fixtures along the ramps (and a short stretch of the freeway in Sparks that has continuous lighting) with LED fixtures. This project removed a bunch of lighting from overhead BGSs, but the few lighted signs that remain now have LED light fixtures.

Additionally, NDOT has replaced the vast majority of the street lighting fixtures on I-80 ramps statewide. I think they have also replaced most if not all fixtures on the freeway portions of US 395.

Interestingly, there's not many (if any) LED lights along freeways in southern Nevada.

Since the thread was bumped, I'll update my previous reply.

The Las Vegas area now has some LED freeway lighting. The main examples are high mast lighting along some some sections of the northern 215 beltway recently upgraded to freeway status. Also, NDOT has used LED high mast lighting at the US 95/215 Centennial Bowl interchange and on US 95 near that interchange.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

TheHighwayMan3561

Minnesota has steadily moved toward more LED lighting. More notable examples are on the rebuilt section of I-494 between MN 55 and 94/694 in Plymouth/Maple Grove and on I-35 traversing Thompson Hill in Duluth.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Mccojm

NYSDOT region 10 recently had meetings and doing studies into converting to LED lighting on our highways. No word of if or when the decision will be made. Most likely any delay will be due to funding.  As far I can tell, the only LED lighting on state maintained roads in R10 are town maintained lights.
My expressed thoughts do not reflect those of NYSDOT, other associated agencies or firms.  Do not take anything I say as official unless it is released by said agencies.

NYSDOT R10 Long Island construction Group since 2013.

Brandon

ISTHA has been converting their tollways over to LEDs.  IDOT has been much slower, if they're even switching them out at all.  The only IDOT LEDs I've seen are on streets where the municipality maintains the lights, or where they have an interchange with a tollway that's been converted (makes for a strange comparison at night).
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

jeffandnicole

NJDOT hasn't really changed to LEDs - even new light masts are using whatever NJDOT historically has used.  In the Trenton Tunnel (Rt. 29) they did install some LEDs in there.

The NJ Turnpike authority is using LEDs on new installs. 

The DRBA recently converted their bridge lighting to LEDs.  The intensity is set to "Blinding".

ilpt4u

Quote from: Brandon on January 26, 2018, 12:46:14 PM
ISTHA has been converting their tollways over to LEDs.  IDOT has been much slower, if they're even switching them out at all.  The only IDOT LEDs I've seen are on streets where the municipality maintains the lights, or where they have an interchange with a tollway that's been converted (makes for a strange comparison at night).
City of Carbondale has installed LED streetlights on US 51 North/Illinois Ave in Downtown Carbondale, but pretty sure those fixtures were installed and are maintained by Carbondale, not IDOT

Mr_Northside

As one of the last things they did with the I-279 (Parkway North) southbound construction project last year was replace the lights with LED's.
Construction is on the northbound side this year, so I'm guessing they'll replace them at the end of this year.

It does look somewhat mismatched having half the highway with the yellow-orange-ish hue, vs. the bright white of the LEDs. 
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

02 Park Ave

When the conversion is made from HPS to LED lighting on the highways, do the fixtures have the same lumen output and distribution pattern?  The local streets around here certainly are dimmer after the conversions are made.
C-o-H

Roadwarriors79

Arizona has some LED lighting in the Phoenix area. The Loop 303 stub south of I-10, I-10 at the I-17 stack, I-10 in the construction zone for the future Loop 202 connection, and a few miles of Loop 101 that was recently widened.

roadman65

#24
The I-4 Ultimate in Orlando is installing them, plus the new FL 528 express lane widening is installing ground poles with them and taking down the high mast lighting there from 1990 which replaced the original 1973 Mercury lights.

New street lights on John Young Parkway in both Orlando City and Orange County are with LED lights and so are the new lights on Wetherbee Road in Southchase in Orange County all LEDs.  Though not freeways, but are part of the encouragement of their implementation.

Also to note that many businesses are changing their parking lot lamps from sodium vapor to LED especially gas stations around Florida.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe



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