Skip to main content

Nevada high speed tunnel gets intelligent lighting control

Quebec-based tunnel lighting specialist Nyx Hemera has completed the installation of its tunnel lighting addressable control system (TLACS) in the Carlin Tunnel, Nevada, USA, claimed to be the first highway rated speed tunnel in North America to be fully lighted with LEDs. Located in north-eastern Nevada and crossing over the Humbolt River, the quarter-mile long Carlin tunnel runs through an approximately US$31 million refurbishment project and includes enhanced roadway drainage, new concrete near tunne
June 11, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Quebec-based tunnel lighting specialist 7797 Nyx Hemera Technologies has completed the installation of its tunnel lighting addressable control system (TLACS) in the Carlin Tunnel, Nevada, USA, claimed to be the first highway rated speed tunnel in North America to be fully lighted with LEDs.

Located in north-eastern Nevada and crossing over the Humbolt River, the quarter-mile long Carlin tunnel runs through an approximately US$31 million refurbishment project and includes enhanced roadway drainage, new concrete near tunnel entrances and new lighting system.

Designed with P.K. Electrical for the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), the new lighting system includes LED luminaires, which are specifically designed for tunnel applications, and the TLACS, a sophisticated lighting control system employing dynamic dimming that responds to ambient light levels on both the inside and outside of the tunnels.

The eastbound bore was completed in December 2013; the westbound bore will be finalised in November 2014.

According to Nyx Hemera president and chief executive officer, Pierre Longtin, when LED lighting is used in road tunnels, an adapted and robust intelligent control system is necessary to be able to get the most out of the benefits offered by LEDs. “The TLACS’ exceptional increases in energy savings, safety and equipment lifetime will allow NDOT to reduce their operational costs, by approximately half, during a 20-year lifecycle. This entails dramatic savings over other conventional systems,” he says.

Karen D. Purcell, principal at P.K. Electrical, said, “The TLACS plays a vital role amongst all the innovative solutions used in the design of the tunnel lighting system. The tunnel will use a lighting control system with the latest technologies that will not only enhance energy consumption and security but also improve operational management.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Lighting upgrade completed on UK motorway
    May 18, 2017
    UK civil and electrical engineering firm, McCann, has completed the lighting upgrades on a 19km stretch of the M62 motorway between J22-25, replacing 1,224 existing high pressure sodium lanterns with new Ampera Maxi LED lighting units. The project, coordinated by Highways England’s term contractor A-one+, also included the installation of a new central management system, with remote manipulation of operational burn hours, control over the timing of dimmed lighting when there is minimal traffic and fault mon
  • Dynamic charging boosts electric vehicles’ potential
    December 16, 2014
    With an increasing need to use electric vehicles in city centres to reduce pollution, David Crawford looks at various solutions to power delivery. The UN’s September 2014 Climate Summit has added fresh momentum to the drive to increase urban electric vehicle (EV) takeup. It has launched the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative, which wants to see EVs accounting for 30% of all urban travel by 2030, and make cities worldwide more friendly to their use. Encouragingly, the plan is being well supported by commerci
  • WSDOT installs LED lights on Highway 101
    March 1, 2013
    Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has replaced the old high-pressure-sodium (HPS) lighting system along Highway 101 with the state’s first light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting system. “This is the first time we’ve used LED lights on a state highways and for most drivers, it will be quite a change,” said John Nisbet, WSDOT state traffic engineer. “LED lights appear whiter and brighter than our standard lights. And those who travel the area late at night will see some lights dimmed or shut
  • Bridge & tunnel management: seeing the bigger picture
    September 10, 2024
    A variety of technologies are available to monitor the health of critical infrastructure – and to keep the drivers who use it safe by flagging incidents while reducing false alarms