Highway street lights

[NJ]

How common are highway lighting in your area?

[NJ]

In New Jersey, you see lightning by entrance/exit ramps, bridges, toll areas and in some more urban type areas they are much more used.

[cl94]

Not at all. NYSDOT's use of lighting is very dependent on region.

-R1: Limited to bridges and very few interchanges, posts only
-R2: Posts in Utica and Rome, high mast in Rome
-3: Posts and high mast in Syracuse and the immediate surrounding area
-4: Most interchanges lit, as is I-490 between NY 204 and NY 31F, NY 104, and NY 590
-5: Expressways within the City of Buffalo lit. No interchange lighting where mainline lights not present. NYSTA lights I-190 south of Grand Island.
-6: Many major interchanges have high-mast or post lighting
-7: None that I am aware of
-8: Some interchanges and Cross County Parkway
-9: Binghamton area and some interchanges
-10: Almost everything in Nassau and Western Suffolk
-11: Everything

[bzakharin]

In New Jersey, you see lightning by entrance/exit ramps, bridges, toll areas and in some more urban type areas they are much more used.

The Morristown area on I-287 gets the fully lit treatment (along with a drop in speed limit from 65 to 55) despite not really being an urban area.

[roadman65]

On I-4 you get the typical interchange area lighting, plus the Downtown Orlando stretch.  Then from Exits 68 to 72 you get the fully lit treatment as it was included in the widening project where I-4 was made from six lanes to eight lanes.  That area is not urban, but heavily developed with tourists services, yet inconsistent with the areas between 72 and 74 which is also tourist and not lit, and of course the area between the Disney interchanges which are not full lit except for the ramps.

On FL 528 they have high mast lighting at Exit 9 for Conway Road, but as a result of the new ramp tolls being installed additional lighting is being installed on the ramps not only for the new toll plaza but for the entire ramp being covered from above.  I do not know if they are ditching the high masts lamps as I always thought they were created to consume power as not as many bulbs need to be used being each pole can cover far more acreage than the traditional 16 feet high lamp area.

[2Co5_14]

In Georgia, highway lighting is used pretty sparingly (at least compared with other states I've beeen in).  Only a few selected interchanges are lighted, either with standard luminaires, or more recently with high-mast lighting. 

Even within metro Atlanta, only portions of the interstates (20,75,85) within the I-285 perimeter are lighted.  I-75 in Marietta and I-85 in Gwinnett are lighted.  Surprisingly, despite the high traffic volumes, very little of GA-400 and none of I-285 (including the major interchanges) is lighted.

There are a few wierd locations where lighting exists that you wouldn't expect, such as I-75 through the small town of Forsyth.

Many new roundabouts on state highways will have lighting.

I suspect the main reason there isn't more highway lighting is that the state requires local governments or municipalities to pay for the cost of electricity and maintenance.

[Henry]

I'm not too sure about the rest of IL, but Chicagoland has the full lighting treatment everywhere. On I-294, there are conventional cobrahead lights, and then of the full-cutoff variety. Further in town, the Dan Ryan Expressway has high-mast lighting just about everywhere but a small portion where it meets the Stevenson.

Los Angeles has some very strange lighting methods, as on the freeways, especially out in the suburbs, lights exists only at interchanges. OTOH, Seattle has the lights set up the same way as in Chicagoland, only more cobraheads and less high-masts.

[cl94]

Ohio puts high mast or cobraheads at just about every interchange, with the latter typically being restricted to dense urban locations. Urban and suburban areas typically get the full lighting treatment, whether it be high mast or some form of lower light on poles. ODOT loves these types of lights for newer median installations.

In the Columbus area, for example, everything inside of I-270 is fully lit with the exception of areas south of SR 104, as is the northern part of I-270 itself.

[Quillz]

Most California freeways tend to have lighting at on-ramps and off-ramps, usually about a quarter mile before and after, then nothing. With the exception of some urban freeways, where lighting is pretty uniform. However, I believe the lack of lighting, especially on rural freeways, is because headlights have typically been shown to be more effective than lamp lights.

[peterj920]

For the longest time, the only freeways in Wisconsin that were lit were in the Milwaukee area.  Freeway exit ramps, major interchanges and bridges are starting to be lit.  State maintained highways will split the cost to put up street lights, but the municipality has to pay for the electricity.  There was a case in Northern Wisconsin where WISDOT took down the street lights because the town did not want to pay to light the highway anymore.  I have a copy of the article below. 

http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/Town-of-Lincolns-decision-to-turn-off-lights-prompts-DOT-to-remove-them-give-town-the-tab-337807581.html

[DaBigE]

For the longest time, the only freeways in Wisconsin that were lit were in the Milwaukee area.  Freeway exit ramps, major interchanges and bridges are starting to be lit.

And that's still somewhat dependent on how built-up or urban the interchange is. For instance, the new US 12 Baraboo bypass only has lights at the ramp terminal intersections, but not down the full length of the ramps/on the freeway. Similar is true with the new Wis 26 Watertown bypass. There's still numerous lighting gaps on Madison's Beltline.

[peterj920]

For the longest time, the only freeways in Wisconsin that were lit were in the Milwaukee area.  Freeway exit ramps, major interchanges and bridges are starting to be lit.

And that's still somewhat dependent on how built-up or urban the interchange is. For instance, the new US 12 Baraboo bypass only has lights at the ramp terminal intersections, but not down the full length of the ramps/on the freeway. Similar is true with the new Wis 26 Watertown bypass. There's still numerous lighting gaps on Madison's Beltline.

I said major bridges and the Yahara River Bridge is lit, as well as many of the exit ramps on the Beltline.  In the last few years lights were added to the Wis 172 and I-43 bridges where there weren't any before.  Exit ramps along US 53 in Eau Claire and I-41 in Oshkosh and Green Bay are lit.  I-41 will be lit from Mason St to I-43 when the project is complete, and will be wired to have lights in the future if they ever decide to add them.

[ET21]

Illinois Tollway is alright, there are some sections where there is no lighting except by exits (I-88 between IL-56 Spur and IL-59 comes to mind)

[hm insulators]

The freeways in and around Phoenix are fully lit with the lamps down the center median.

Personally, I never saw the need for so damn much lighting, but then I'm from Los Angeles, and like an earlier post stated, lights are installed only at onramps and offramps.

[noelbotevera]

We get lighting randomly here in PA. They might post a random light pole erected by PennDOT and not us near I-81 for no reason. MD is a little more rational and places high-mast lighting in cities and interchanges.

[Mergingtraffic]

I-95 in CT is the longest stretch of highway that is lit.  50 miles I think from the NY state line to Exit 54 in Branford.

[cl94]

I-95 in CT is the longest stretch of highway that is lit.  50 miles I think from the NY state line to Exit 54 in Branford.

If you include New York, it's lit until just west of NJ 4. That's nearly 80 miles. Good luck beating that for a single route.

From the west end of the Midtown Tunnel to NY 112, the LIE is lit for 54 miles. If you want to combine those two (as people in Suffolk might do), you'd be driving on lit expressways for 118 miles.

[wanderer2575]

There is lighting on all metro Detroit freeways, but a lot of it doesn't work.  In Detroit proper, there appears to be regular vandalism of the control cabinets and theft of the copper wiring.  In other areas, lighting appears to simply not be maintained -- burned-out bulbs or bad connections -- for example, stretches where every other light is out.  And on some freeways with light poles mounted on the center Jersey median wall, lots of poles are missing (removed due to structural instability?).  All in all, a lovely third-world look.

[UCFKnights]

South Florida 95 is lit for 87 miles it appears. Most every highway in southeast Florida has lighting as far as I remember.

[SignBridge]

A point of history re: I-495, the Long Island Expwy. When originally built starting in the 1950's it was always completely lit in NYC, Queens. However it was not lighted originally in Nassau or Western Suffolk Counties when built in the late 1950's to early 1960's. Lighting was finally installed in the late 1970's I believe and was long overdue.

Some drivers do not like freeway lighting but I do. And studies have shown since back in the 1960's that well lighted roads are safer and that's that. One book I read as a teenager in 1969 praised the Connecticut Tpk. (I-95) for it's excellent lighting over most of its length.

[cl94]

A point of history re: I-495, the Long Island Expwy. When originally built starting in the 1950's it was always completely lit in NYC, Queens. However it was not lighted originally in Nassau or Western Suffolk Counties when built in the late 1950's to early 1960's. Lighting was finally installed in the late 1970's I believe and was long overdue.

Some drivers do not like freeway lighting but I do. And studies have shown since back in the 1960's that well lighted roads are safer and that's that. One book I read as a teenager in 1969 praised the Connecticut Tpk. (I-95) for it's excellent lighting over most of its length.

Yeah. For a while, it went dark at the city line. I think the parkways have been lit for quite some time, though.

[jp the roadgeek]

More CT highways fully lit stretches:

I-84: NY Line to Exit 8, Exit 18-25, Exit 25A-30, Exit 33-65. (25-25A gap will be filled with construction)
I-91: I-95 to Exit 13, Exit 17-18, Exit 22- MA Exit 13. 
I-95: Also Exit 68-70, 74-76, 82-88
I-291: Entire length
I-384: I-84 to Exit 3
I-395: Exit 9-14
I-691/CT 66: Exit 7-13
US 6: Entire Willimantic bypass
US 7: Entire Danbury area including Brookfield bypass
CT 2: I-84 to Exit 8, Exit 25-end of expressway, Foxwoods bypass
CT 2A (non- I-395): Entire length
CT 8: I-95 to CT 15, Exit 13-16, Exit 25-35, Exit 43-44
CT 9: Exit 10-18, Exit 21-end
CT 15: Exit 53-55, Exit 67-68W, Berlin Turnpike to end
CT 20: Entire expressway length
CT 40: Entire length
CT 72: Exit 1-end


LIE is lit up to Exit 65.

[CtrlAltDel]

The Chicago area has lighting on pretty much all its highways, with maybe a few exceptions here and there. I have to admit, though, that I don't particularly care for it.

[mgk920]

For the longest time, the only freeways in Wisconsin that were lit were in the Milwaukee area.  Freeway exit ramps, major interchanges and bridges are starting to be lit.

And that's still somewhat dependent on how built-up or urban the interchange is. For instance, the new US 12 Baraboo bypass only has lights at the ramp terminal intersections, but not down the full length of the ramps/on the freeway. Similar is true with the new Wis 26 Watertown bypass. There's still numerous lighting gaps on Madison's Beltline.

I said major bridges and the Yahara River Bridge is lit, as well as many of the exit ramps on the Beltline.  In the last few years lights were added to the Wis 172 and I-43 bridges where there weren't any before.  Exit ramps along US 53 in Eau Claire and I-41 in Oshkosh and Green Bay are lit.  I-41 will be lit from Mason St to I-43 when the project is complete, and will be wired to have lights in the future if they ever decide to add them.

I-41 is lit from about WI 21 northward across the Lake Butte des Morts causeway to just north of the US 45 Algoma interchange in Oshkosh, too.

I'm not up on the extent of lighting planned for the I-41/US 10/WI 441 upgrade area between Neenah and Appleton, but the finished part of the NB to EB interchange ramp is lit and light bases are being installed on the new Little Lake Butte des Morts bridge.

Mike

[AsphaltPlanet]

Ontario lights most of its urban and suburban highways.  Quebec does a really good job lighting its freeways in urban and suburban settings as well.

It seems that highway lighting is probably more important in more northern areas due to the reduced hours of daylight in the winter.  This time of year, through much of Canada, a significant portion of both the morning and evening rush hours occur during night or dusk hours.