MDOT is putting in LED's on the reconstructed M-39, as far as I know these first on a state highway and from what've I've seen I love them. There're already on from Ford Rd. to about Grand River even just on traffic cams they make a big difference in brightness and clarity. So where else LED going in?
http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/drive/
Wasn't New York experimenting with some sort of LED lighting in the roadway, to help illuminate the dividing line during the night or during snowstorms?
It sounds like the OP was referring to overhead LED street lighting (as opposed to the current standard of high-pressure sodium vapor or mercury vapor lighting).
As far as I know, no jurisdiction in Nevada is making a wholesale conversion to LED streetlights. Washoe County RTC got some grant funding to replace nearly all street lights at signalized intersections in the Reno-Sparks area with LED fixtures. It's interesting because so many intersections have gone from the bright yellow/orange of high pressure sodium lighting to the bluish-white of LED fixturess. I think the replacements make intersections look darker, but that's probably due in large part to the LED fixtures focusing light more straight down, whereas the old cobrahead fixtures were domed so the light bled out in more directions.
Quote from: Quillz on September 15, 2011, 12:13:03 AM
Wasn't New York experimenting with some sort of LED lighting in the roadway, to help illuminate the dividing line during the night or during snowstorms?
If I remember the GWB has LED lampposts on it - also the suspension cable is lined with LED lamps. I can say this first hand from crossing it during the night in Aug 2010.
I remember reading a news item last year after the massive East Coast snowstorm in February about how LED lighting poses a bit of a problem in heavy snow because the bulbs don't generate enough heat to melt snow and ice.
MaineDOT is going to start (if they haven't already) to use LED lighting at their freeway interchanges. Haven't seen any out in the field yet elsewhere.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 15, 2011, 03:11:49 PM
I remember reading a news item last year after the massive East Coast snowstorm in February about how LED lighting poses a bit of a problem in heavy snow because the bulbs don't generate enough heat to melt snow and ice.
That's only really a concern with LED traffic lights though. Or is snow really able to accumulate on the bottoms of street lights?
Quote from: roadfro on September 15, 2011, 05:48:05 AM
It sounds like the OP was referring to overhead LED street lighting (as opposed to the current standard of high-pressure sodium vapor or mercury vapor lighting).
As far as I know, no jurisdiction in Nevada is making a wholesale conversion to LED streetlights. Washoe County RTC got some grant funding to replace nearly all street lights at signalized intersections in the Reno-Sparks area with LED fixtures. It's interesting because so many intersections have gone from the bright yellow/orange of high pressure sodium lighting to the bluish-white of LED fixturess. I think the replacements make intersections look darker, but that's probably due in large part to the LED fixtures focusing light more straight down, whereas the old cobrahead fixtures were domed so the light bled out in more directions.
Yeah, I was talking more so about street lighting. What you say about spreading light seems very true the M-39 service drive lights are out and the new lights don't help much at all.
In Addison, a Dallas suburb, street light poles that get hit by cars or otherwise damaged are being replaced with new-style poles which all have LED lighting (the existing ones have had sodium vapor). Not sure whether I like them yet or not. They don't seem bright enough.
IINM, parking lot lights at several Dallas-area 7-Eleven stores have gone LED also.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 15, 2011, 03:11:49 PM
I remember reading a news item last year after the massive East Coast snowstorm in February about how LED lighting poses a bit of a problem in heavy snow because the bulbs don't generate enough heat to melt snow and ice.
There is a traffic signal company that came of with the idea of "snow scoop" visors, which are ordinary signal visors that have vents in the top of them to prevent snow build up. So far, I've only seen them in place in Wilmington, DE.
Charles Street north of Hopkins in Baltimore has LED lights installed.
Quote from: PennDOTFan on September 15, 2011, 10:53:10 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 15, 2011, 03:11:49 PM
I remember reading a news item last year after the massive East Coast snowstorm in February about how LED lighting poses a bit of a problem in heavy snow because the bulbs don't generate enough heat to melt snow and ice.
There is a traffic signal company that came of with the idea of "snow scoop" visors, which are ordinary signal visors that have vents in the top of them to prevent snow build up. So far, I've only seen them in place in Wilmington, DE.
I don't know how a vent in the top helps prevent snow accumulation... The easy thing to do is use 3/4 visors (used on newer signals in Reno) or cutaway visors, which both have no area on the bottom for snow to accumulate.
Quote from: roadfro on September 18, 2011, 06:03:41 AMI don't know how a vent in the top helps prevent snow accumulation... The easy thing to do is use 3/4 visors (used on newer signals in Reno) or cutaway visors, which both have no area on the bottom for snow to accumulate.
They attempt to channel some of the wind over the face of the signal to help blow the snow away. The problem is wind-driven snow in the first place that sticks to the lens. Cutaway visors don't help as much either since the snow also sits on the top of the visor below (so while the green may be clear, the yellow and red won't be). It really only seems to be a problem with heavy wet wind-driven snow, while the more powdery stuff just blows away.
As for LED street lights, I like that they're actually white. The orange glow of sodium vapor, or the blue/green of older mercury vapor lights are both so unpleasant. They installed a few test cobra head replacements on one street here in Cincinnati, and they're plenty bright and have good color. The only complaint I have is that the LED elements are bare with just a clear piece of glass and no shielding, so they cause a lot of glare. A slightly frosted lens, or recessing the elements or putting some baffles around the sides would help with that.
I've forgotten where I saw it (possibly in one of the NJ towns), but there was an LED signal where the arrow changed colors in place. In other words a standard 3 stack with the green arrow below, and the arrow at the bottom changed from green to yellow without changing position, where you would expect a doghouse configuration to achieve that. Would have thought this would be a no-no due to possible color-blindness issues.
Quote from: MDRoads on September 18, 2011, 01:27:33 PM
I've forgotten where I saw it (possibly in one of the NJ towns), but there was an LED signal where the arrow changed colors in place. In other words a standard 3 stack with the green arrow below, and the arrow at the bottom changed from green to yellow without changing position, where you would expect a doghouse configuration to achieve that. Would have thought this would be a no-no due to possible color-blindness issues.
I've seen similar signals in suburban Kansas City in the mid 2000s. They have since been prohibited by the MUTCD on the grounds you mentioned, I believe.
^ The operation described I believe is prohibited in the MUTCD. However, the 2009 MUTCD does allow a green/yellow bi-modal arrow section for flashing yellow arrow operations--the green and flashing yellow arrows are in the same signal section but the steady yellow is separate. The intent is to allow this where space restrictions wouldn't work for a 4-section head, but I understand areas of Oregon used (uses?) the 3-section variant quite a bit.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 19, 2011, 12:29:25 AM
I've seen similar signals in suburban Kansas City in the mid 2000s. They have since been prohibited by the MUTCD on the grounds you mentioned, I believe.
There are still some bi-modal arrows in use in Johnson County, Kansas. They are also used many places in Enid, Oklahoma.
The neighborhood in Sylmar, California, where my friend lives has had a few lights converted to LEDs. They do direct more light downward, which is a good thing. Street lights that shine uselessly outward waste a lot of electricity and create "light pollution," which can have adverse effects on some people's health.
They're appearing all over the S.F. Valley now. Got to say that aesthetically, I don't like them as much as the old "cobra head," but I'm sure I'll get used to them as I see them more and more often. I don't know who makes them, but here is the design the city is using (there are probably other LED lamps with a different shape):
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg442.imageshack.us%2Fimg442%2F3604%2Fstreetlightinstall.jpg&hash=96bb710f3b5278da84e47442a05d1577ac2a4df5)
They apparently make a big lighting difference. Here's the 6th Street Bridge, before and after:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg64.imageshack.us%2Fimg64%2F7261%2Fled6thstbridgehps40.jpg&hash=99964c19825129cf6d42f82142230c5286ec528b) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg685.imageshack.us%2Fimg685%2F1639%2Fled6thstbridgeled240.jpg&hash=5c71657817c9589e0f84bcc6e69493e4c78017db)
So the light is much more white than yellow. And, being LEDs, they should be both brighter and far more energy efficient, saving a lot of money in the long run. All in all, I think it's a positive change.
And here's an article on the change, seems the whole city is getting them eventually: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/17696
Quote from: roadfro on September 19, 2011, 06:13:33 AM
^ The operation described I believe is prohibited in the MUTCD. However, the 2009 MUTCD does allow a green/yellow bi-modal arrow section for flashing yellow arrow operations--the green and flashing yellow arrows are in the same signal section but the steady yellow is separate. The intent is to allow this where space restrictions wouldn't work for a 4-section head, but I understand areas of Oregon used (uses?) the 3-section variant quite a bit.
Actually, the 3-section FYAs are becoming extremely common in Oregon. Washington County went on a major FYA spree last year and replaced a bunch of standard protected left signals with 3-section FYAs. There's literally hundreds of them now, and they seem to be the standard fixture there now. ODOT is still using 4-section ones to my knowledge (the ones installed along I-5's exits at Kuebler Blvd in Salem and US-20 in Albany are 4-section). I wouldn't be shocked to see them switch to 3-section, though it may become standard procedure for them to use 4-sections simply to differentiate from protected left turn signals (not unlike the tendency to use 3M fresnels for all left turn signals before about 1993).
Quote from: Tarkus on November 04, 2011, 08:41:23 PM
Actually, the 3-section FYAs are becoming extremely common in Oregon.
For all that ODOT tries to be standardized and is generally pretty good about it, the lack of standardization in Oregon for permissive left-turn signals annoys me to no end. I first saw the signals in Montana (2000-2002) and they were all of the exact same configuration...Oregon seems to have at least a half-dozen different styles:
The Doghouse (separate left turn and straight amber/green aspects beside each other but a common red aspect)
The Five-Section (separate left turn amber/green below the straight amber/green and a common red)
The Four-Section
The Three-Section
And with the Four- and Three-Section lights there are multiple configurations that include flashing yellow arrow, or solid green arrow, some that have arrows that change colors and some that don't...
Baltimore City has been putting them up all over the place now. You can mainly find them in the north part of the City especially on the JFX (I-83) between the City/County line and Cold Spring Lane. They are also on the Hanover Street Bridge.
Springdale, Arkansas has been installing them at signalized intersections... but, in general, roadway lighting is only provided at signals there. Sigh.
I just noticed some LED streetlighting last night in Madison, WI along Mineral Point Rd. It was my first time seeing it. There was a stretch that had the new LED lighting, and then a stretch that had to sodium lighting, so it was easy to compare. I like the LED lighting, it's brighter, whiter, and easier to see detail in.
It appears they installed it on a stretch of Park St just north of the Beltline in Madison as well.
There are also some on WIS 30 near the E. Wash exit as well. I also believe Oregon and Sun Prairie have some LED lights in the downtown areas of those cities.
What do you think of this beauty? NC's first Toll Road: The Triangle Expressway
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi174.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw102%2Farchitect77%2Fmsgsign.png&hash=859203bc93c5dd66058c6e0ce278e43760790565)
City of Portland has installed the LED lighting on Harbor Drive (the roadway that connects Naito Parkway, Clay and Market Streets with I-5 south).
The City of Appleton, WI is starting to install LED streetlights in quantity, right now mostly in the downtown area. I don't know their manufacturer or the name of their design style, but each fixture has a very sleek look and uses two rectangular 'pixel' arrays lined up the long way. This was started after several different styles were installed at various major intersections in the city a couple of years ago.
Mike
Nevada DOT is starting to replace cobrahead lighting fixtures along its I-80 freeway ramps with LED street light fixtures. Noticed some in Fernley and a few more recently in the Reno area.
NDOT has also replaced some under-bridge lighting with LED fixtures, especially along US 395 in Reno where they recently widened bridges as part of the widening of NB 395. It looks really good and it's extremely bright under those bridges.
They just put up leds on some 50 year old light in front of my house. Better visibility but the light shines in my window at night.
I noticed the LED lighting popping up all over LA recently (The 210 interchange in Sylmar got them this summer) - (they've also started installing them in the surrounding area (including Santa Clarita - especially at freeway exits).
Platteville, WI put in LED streetlights on Water Street and Madison street so far, and the Beltline Manona Viaduct in the Madison area along with portions of East Washington Street by the East Towne Mall have LED lamps installed as well.
Most reconstruction projects in Madison include LED lighting...University Ave west of Hill Farms, Northport Dr (Wis 113), Williamson St to name a few. They also have switched many areas around the Capitol, as well as University Ave roughly between Frances St and Park St.
Quote from: Quillz on November 04, 2011, 07:09:36 PM
They apparently make a big lighting difference. Here's the 6th Street Bridge, before and after:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg64.imageshack.us%2Fimg64%2F7261%2Fled6thstbridgehps40.jpg&hash=99964c19825129cf6d42f82142230c5286ec528b) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg685.imageshack.us%2Fimg685%2F1639%2Fled6thstbridgeled240.jpg&hash=5c71657817c9589e0f84bcc6e69493e4c78017db)
So the light is much more white than yellow. And, being LEDs, they should be both brighter and far more energy efficient, saving a lot of money in the long run. All in all, I think it's a positive change.
The white balance and exposure of the camera is different between the photos. Nice way to "enhance" a before/after shot.
Quote from: MDRoads on September 18, 2011, 01:27:33 PM
I've forgotten where I saw it (possibly in one of the NJ towns), but there was an LED signal where the arrow changed colors in place. In other words a standard 3 stack with the green arrow below, and the arrow at the bottom changed from green to yellow without changing position, where you would expect a doghouse configuration to achieve that. Would have thought this would be a no-no due to possible color-blindness issues.
(I realize this is two years old)
NJDOT and many local DPWs install 4 head signals with bi-LED (originally fiber optic in the pre-LED days I think) protected left arrows instead of 5 head doghouse signals. This has been the case for at least 15 years in the state and new installs continue to this day despite anything that may prohibit them in the MUTCD. They never seem to have been an issue for drivers. I'd say that doghouse signals are the exception rather than the norm around here, they certainly aren't common.
I've noticed that. LED lights are actually dimmer than HPS lights from what I've seen, yet every photograph shows the opposite. I think LED lights are more camera friendly, yet since sodium emits two dominant wavelengths (colors) of light, so it may be a bit easier to see objects and depth with the human eye.
The thing is, LEDs can be as effective as HPS if done right (multiple colors of white and yellow instead of just white with a convexed lens to diffract the directional light)...
Quote from: KEK Inc. on November 30, 2013, 07:47:43 PM
I've noticed that. LED lights are actually dimmer than HPS lights from what I've seen, yet every photograph shows the opposite. I think LED lights are more camera friendly, yet since sodium emits two dominant wavelengths (colors) of light, so it may be a bit easier to see objects and depth with the human eye.
The thing is, LEDs can be as effective as HPS if done right (multiple colors of white and yellow instead of just white with a convexed lens to diffract the directional light)...
I agree with KEK that LED street lights appear dimmer than HPS street lights. My hometown converted most of the residential street lights to LEDs earlier this year and they do appear dimmer.
There's been talk of converting the streetlights in Chicago to LED's as well, but that would most likely mean the removal of the Crimefighter lights that made the city famous for many years. More of a wait-and-see situation...
Quote from: myosh_tino on November 30, 2013, 11:06:13 PM
Quote from: KEK Inc. on November 30, 2013, 07:47:43 PM
I've noticed that. LED lights are actually dimmer than HPS lights from what I've seen, yet every photograph shows the opposite. I think LED lights are more camera friendly, yet since sodium emits two dominant wavelengths (colors) of light, so it may be a bit easier to see objects and depth with the human eye.
The thing is, LEDs can be as effective as HPS if done right (multiple colors of white and yellow instead of just white with a convexed lens to diffract the directional light)...
I agree with KEK that LED street lights appear dimmer than HPS street lights. My hometown converted most of the residential street lights to LEDs earlier this year and they do appear dimmer.
But it's green, so it has to be better and brighter. :bigass:
Dimmer lights are not always worse. Some cities - and highways, were overlit. The whole belief that lighting up the night would reduce crime has been debunked in most planning circles.
Back to the original topic, I've noticed West Virginia's DOH installing new gantries across the state - or retrofitting old gantries, with LED lights to illuminate the signs. The signs are much brighter than ever and much more reliable. In some cities, like Charleston, interstate lighting has started to be replaced with LED fixtures, which tend to be less bright but much more efficient and pleasing to drive under. I've also noted the first high-mast light using LED lighting at Milton on I-64 at MM 28 - which casts a soft white glow on the interchange.
Speaking of street lights, Caltrans has a big problem right now keeping street lights lit. While a tiny percentage of the outages are due to lack of maintenance, the rest are due to copper thieves stealing the wiring at night. The I-280/CA-85 interchange has been dark for the better part of a year because copper thieves stole the wiring.
I know this is a problem in California, how about elsewhere in the U.S.?
^^ When i was near Atlanta, much of the freeway lighting they did have was dark because of it. Also since thieves stole the base coverings, the city or statge put on plastic covers in their stead and had the fact they are plastic embossed on them.
Quote from: myosh_tino on December 04, 2013, 11:17:00 PM
Speaking of street lights, Caltrans has a big problem right now keeping street lights lit. While a tiny percentage of the outages are due to lack of maintenance, the rest are due to copper thieves stealing the wiring at night. The I-280/CA-85 interchange has been dark for the better part of a year because copper thieves stole the wiring.
I know this is a problem in California, how about elsewhere in the U.S.?
This was also a problem in the Vegas area for a bit. IIRC, a considerable section of the I-515/US 93/US 95 street lights were dark for a while because of this a few years ago.
Been seeing a lot more of these in Michigan. I-94 has some in the Detroit area, but all of them within Detroit city limits, at least east of I-96, were dark as of a couple months ago. (Seriously.) There's also a few miles of US 131 south of Grand Rapids with LEDs.
Here's a thought. I personally prefer blue/white streetlights to yellow/orange ones, but redder colors tend to make it easier for the eyes to readjust to darkness (look up the Purkinje Effect if curious). Do you think we'll start seeing LED streetlights with orange bulbs or orange covers?
Quote from: getemngo on December 06, 2013, 09:48:17 PM
Been seeing a lot more of these in Michigan. I-94 has some in the Detroit area, but all of them within Detroit city limits, at least east of I-96, were dark as of a couple months ago. (Seriously.) There's also a few miles of US 131 south of Grand Rapids with LEDs.
Here's a thought. I personally prefer blue/white streetlights to yellow/orange ones, but redder colors tend to make it easier for the eyes to readjust to darkness (look up the Purkinje Effect if curious). Do you think we'll start seeing LED streetlights with orange bulbs or orange covers?
I doubt we will and I personally hope it never happens. One of the other selling points of LED street lights is the natural colored light...police like them because it helps give more accurate descriptions of perps and/or their get-away vehicles. Reverting back to peach/orange would be a big step backwards IMHO.
I remember seeing a comparison (maybe elsewhere on this site?) of a Ford Mustang parked under a HPS light and a LED fixture. The Mustang looked like it was orange under the HPS, but was red under the LED.
Quote from: Big John on December 04, 2013, 11:25:11 PM
^^ When i was near Atlanta, much of the freeway lighting they did have was dark because of it. Also since thieves stole the base coverings, the city or statge put on plastic covers in their stead and had the fact they are plastic embossed on them.
A friend in Charlotte noticed the exact same thing. An interesting fact is that somehow a stetch of I-85 has now gone retro, with lights that were last produced in 1985, of all things! I wonder where they came from, possibly a storage bin somewhere?
Quote from: myosh_tino on December 04, 2013, 11:17:00 PM
Speaking of street lights, Caltrans has a big problem right now keeping street lights lit. While a tiny percentage of the outages are due to lack of maintenance, the rest are due to copper thieves stealing the wiring at night. The I-280/CA-85 interchange has been dark for the better part of a year because copper thieves stole the wiring.
I know this is a problem in California, how about elsewhere in the U.S.?
Arizona, too. Entire stretches of freeway in Phoenix are dark because of the copper thieves. They don't seem to realize that fooling around with live high-voltage can easily kill them! :no: I know what high-voltage electricity can do to the human body; years ago, I knew a young man who had 12,000 volts go through his body when he was a kid. He suffered 3rd-degree burns over 80% of his body. As far as I know, he's still alive, but he's basically one gigantic burn scar.