Mast lighting verses standard lighting

[myosh_tino]

High mast lighting in northern California is pretty much limited to the toll plazas on 4 of the 7 bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area which are the San Mateo Bridge (CA-92), Bay Bridge (I-80), Carquinez Bridge (I-80) and the Benicia Bridge (I-680).  Standard streetlights are used at all freeway interchanges and are located on the right shoulder.  Standard streetlights are now also starting to appear in the median of freeways that have express lanes.  For the most part, streetlights at set intervals are not present on either urban and rural freeways in between interchanges.

[Buffaboy]

I always thought high mast lighting was a Southern thing. I can count the number of high mast lights in WNY on one hand.

NYSDOT Region 2 recently removed some mast lighting installed in 1989 along Interstates 90 and 790. The bases were rotting out and the masts were starting to sway a little bit.  The mast lighting was installed at I-790/NY 5-8-12-5A-5S interchange and it suffered the same fate, though they replaced them with new masts. The original masts at 90/790 were removed and never reinstalled.

Now that I think about it I remember seeing these lights. They must've installed them during the arterial reconstruction.

[jlwm]

High mast lighting is used on most urban freeways in TxDOT's Houston District with exception to Highway 288 inside 610, US 59 between Shepherd and Spur 527, and the HCTRA maintained tollroads.

[jcn]

Here's where high mast lighting is used on I-95 from Philly to Baltimore.

-High mast lighting is used from the airport down to the route 420 exit.

-I-95 in PA also has high mast lighting at I-476 and at the Commodore Barry Bridge exit.

-In Delaware, high mast lighting isn't first seen on I-95 until that massive interchange where both the 495 bypass and 295/NJTP merge with I-95.  (Speaking of which, the two northbound I-95 overpasses at that interchange literally lack underpass lighting.  Has anyone who've driven southbound over the Del. Mem. Br. at night noticed that when crossing under northbound I-95, it's pretty dark?  I bring that up because they plan to replace the high mast lighting at that interchange, and that project also includes adding underpass lighting at the 95 north overpasses)

-The only other interchange on I-95 in DE with high mast lighting is at exit 3.

-In Maryland, high mast lighting is first seen at exit 100.  Note that the high mast lighting is only on the southbound side likely because the southbound side has a c/d lane while the northbound side doesn't.

-There's also high mast lighting at exit 93.  They actually are replacing all the high mast lights there, did anyone notice that? 

-There was also high mast lighting at exit 89, but not long ago, they took the high masts down and replaced them with standard lighting.  Same with exit 74.

-There's also high mast lighting at exit 85.

-Exit 67 used to have high mast lighting until they redid the interchange.

-Finally, high mast lighting is literally continuous on I-95 in Baltimore from the I-895 split to the western junction with I-695.  High mast lighting was also added at the eastern junction with I-695 when the express lanes were added.

[SSOWorld]

High mast lighting in northern California is pretty much limited to the toll plazas on 4 of the 7 bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area which are the San Mateo Bridge (CA-92), Bay Bridge (I-80), Carquinez Bridge (I-80) and the Benicia Bridge (I-680).  Standard streetlights are used at all freeway interchanges and are located on the right shoulder.  Standard streetlights are now also starting to appear in the median of freeways that have express lanes.  For the most part, streetlights at set intervals are not present on either urban and rural freeways in between interchanges.

in southern California, the use of lights is of the standards type and for the most parts is limited to interchanges.  Even downtown!

[MarkF]

The only high mast highway lighting I recall in southern California is at the CA91/I-5 interchange.

[hm insulators]

The only high mast highway lighting I recall in southern California is at the CA91/I-5 interchange.

I think I recall seeing high-mast lighting at the interchange of I-15 and California 60. I could be wrong.

[myosh_tino]

The only high mast highway lighting I recall in southern California is at the CA91/I-5 interchange.

I think I recall seeing high-mast lighting at the interchange of I-15 and California 60. I could be wrong.

You are both correct...

I-5/CA-91 --- https://goo.gl/maps/xihA5A51CKr
I-15/CA-60 --- https://goo.gl/maps/MDpaftNnwo32

[plain]

In Virginia high mast lighting is pretty much hit or miss. In northern Virginia along I-95 they appear at most interchanges starting from exit 156 (Dale Blvd) all the way to the Capital Beltway, with conventional lighting in between. Also, on the beltway itself, in the vicinity of the Wilson Bridge.

In the Hampton Roads area they currently appear on I-64 in Norfolk at the junction with I-264 (Exit 284), at Exit 282 (Northampton Blvd) and at Exit 279 (Norveiw Ave), and the former 2 were added, or should I say added AGAIN recently. Here's what I mean: they used to appear at almost all interchanges on 64 between 264 and 564 but VDOT took them down some years ago without replacing them with lighting of any type - in other words, most of this stretch is lit between interchanges with conventional lighting but the interchanges themselves remained dark (which is backwards AF lmao)... VDOT is in the process of adding the high mast back to the junctions.   I-664 in Chesapeake has them almost throughout  (minus Exit 11, and where conventional lighting is present). Also on 664 in the vicinity of downtown Newport News, and at both portals of the tunnel portion of the MMBT. On I-264 in downtown Norfolk, and finally at the US 17/ VA 168 interchange in Chesapeake just south of I-64.

US 58 has them at its interchange with SR 671 south of Franklin and also at the interchange with I-95 in Emporia.

In the Richmond metro area lighting of ANY type is scarce (smdh!!) even though RMA (IGNORE my avatar, I am NOT affiliated with them I just like the sign lol) does a pretty decent job lighting its toll roads. Except for the bridge over the James River, High Masts appear continuously on I-95 from about a mile south of Exit 73 (Maury St.) to just north of Exit 75 (I-64 East). On I-64 they appear at Exit 183 (only the Broad Street half though.. strange) and Exit 192 (Mechanicsville Tpk). Down in Petersburg they are on 95 between the I-85 junction and the Appomattox River.

And I-81 high masts at most interchanges in the Bristol area.


Whew..... I think i summed them up lmmfao

[roadman65]

Wow, you got that all in one breath lol!  Yes, you covered a lot in just one paragraph.  Yes VDOT always amazed me that on I-64 in Norfolk they had standard lighting in between interchanges as well as lighting at the interchanges.  Usually only interchanges get them, but almost all of I-64 in Norfolk (and Hampton Roads) is pretty much all well lit.

[plain]

Wow, you got that all in one breath lol!  Yes, you covered a lot in just one paragraph.  Yes VDOT always amazed me that on I-64 in Norfolk they had standard lighting in between interchanges as well as lighting at the interchanges.  Usually only interchanges get them, but almost all of I-64 in Norfolk (and Hampton Roads) is pretty much all well lit.

Thanks lol. Yeah Hampton Roads is pretty well lit as far as the expressways and main boulevards go.. most of the side streets, especially Hampton and Newport News, not so much...

I just wish most of I-95 through Richmond was better lit, especially on the overlap with I-64 (total darkness except for certain ramps).... this stretch has got to be one of, if not THE, most dangerous stretches in the entire state

[ChiMilNet]

High masts are starting to really show their deficiencies. While the concept is sound, lower and more modern lighting poles have shown to be more efficient in both light and energy usage. Prime example is I-88 and the new I-90, where the IL-Tollway is converting the old orange bulbs with high-efficient white LED bulbs.

ISTHA has shown a preference for the standard light pole as opposed to high mast lighting (which IDOT seems to prefer).  In fog, rain, mist, and snow, I find the tollways much more pleasant to drive.  The might mast stuff just scatters the light and makes it harder to see, IMHO. It's too far from the ground to be really be useful.

There was a brief period, I recall, where a few of the toll plazas on the ISTHA had high mast lighting (River Road on I-294 was one of them, I recall). However, it seems this was reverted back to the standard lighting when the toll plazas were all rebuilt along with their respective roadways. Honestly, I think this is for the better. I-90 as it is being rebuild between O'Hare and Rockford serves as a great example of how standard lighting with LED luminaries is more effective than high mast lighting (you reading this IDOT).

[SSOWorld]

High masts are starting to really show their deficiencies. While the concept is sound, lower and more modern lighting poles have shown to be more efficient in both light and energy usage. Prime example is I-88 and the new I-90, where the IL-Tollway is converting the old orange bulbs with high-efficient white LED bulbs.

ISTHA has shown a preference for the standard light pole as opposed to high mast lighting (which IDOT seems to prefer).  In fog, rain, mist, and snow, I find the tollways much more pleasant to drive.  The might mast stuff just scatters the light and makes it harder to see, IMHO. It's too far from the ground to be really be useful.

There was a brief period, I recall, where a few of the toll plazas on the ISTHA had high mast lighting (River Road on I-294 was one of them, I recall). However, it seems this was reverted back to the standard lighting when the toll plazas were all rebuilt along with their respective roadways. Honestly, I think this is for the better. I-90 as it is being rebuild between O'Hare and Rockford serves as a great example of how standard lighting with LED luminaries is more effective than high mast lighting (you reading this IDOT).

Though they [will] have lighting all the way along the road from Chicago to Rockford.

[ChiMilNet]

High masts are starting to really show their deficiencies. While the concept is sound, lower and more modern lighting poles have shown to be more efficient in both light and energy usage. Prime example is I-88 and the new I-90, where the IL-Tollway is converting the old orange bulbs with high-efficient white LED bulbs.

ISTHA has shown a preference for the standard light pole as opposed to high mast lighting (which IDOT seems to prefer).  In fog, rain, mist, and snow, I find the tollways much more pleasant to drive.  The might mast stuff just scatters the light and makes it harder to see, IMHO. It's too far from the ground to be really be useful.

There was a brief period, I recall, where a few of the toll plazas on the ISTHA had high mast lighting (River Road on I-294 was one of them, I recall). However, it seems this was reverted back to the standard lighting when the toll plazas were all rebuilt along with their respective roadways. Honestly, I think this is for the better. I-90 as it is being rebuild between O'Hare and Rockford serves as a great example of how standard lighting with LED luminaries is more effective than high mast lighting (you reading this IDOT).

Though they [will] have lighting all the way along the road from Chicago to Rockford.

In my opinion, this is justified with the traffic. Plus, LED lighting is way more cost effective so more feasible to do.

[jwolfer]

Most of the exits on Jacksonville freeways have high mast lighting.

The freeways themselves have regular streetlights, however some poles have no horizontal poles.

For hurricane Matthew the high mast lights were all lowered, i only saw in the day. Not sure if they functioned close to the ground

LGMS428

[cl94]

Ohio loves high-mast lighting. Almost every interchange outside of dense urban areas (where conventional lighting is used) has high-mast lighting, even in rural areas.

NYSTA uses it at toll plazas. Other than a few large interchanges in Central New York and the Rochester area, that's the main place you'll see it in New York.

[Bitmapped]

Ohio loves high-mast lighting. Almost every interchange outside of dense urban areas (where conventional lighting is used) has high-mast lighting, even in rural areas.

ODOT? Not so much. Most interchanges on I-77 have conventional lighting. Same for unwidened portions of I-70, I-71, and other US and state route freeways.

[cl94]

Ohio loves high-mast lighting. Almost every interchange outside of dense urban areas (where conventional lighting is used) has high-mast lighting, even in rural areas.

ODOT? Not so much. Most interchanges on I-77 have conventional lighting. Same for unwidened portions of I-70, I-71, and other US and state route freeways.

Tell that to Columbus. High mast is everywhere. At this point, I-71 has mostly been widened and that's all high mast outside of I-270.