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

  • Trans-Pennine road tunnel routes shortlisted, may include special lighting, caverns
    August 19, 2016
    Five routes have been shortlisted for the Trans-Pennine tunnel – the most ambitious road scheme undertaken in the UK in more than five decades. The Trans-Pennine tunnel study was launched by the government in autumn 2015, one of a number of studies aimed at addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the road network in the UK. The latest interim study shows the continued strong case for the tunnel which could provide safer, faster and more reliable journeys for motorists. All five routes join th
  • Continental demonstrates its electronic horizon technology
    December 16, 2015
    Continental is to show its electronic horizon (eHorizon) technology at CES on 6-9 January 2016 on public roads in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company will demonstrate with two use cases based on the latest generation of the technology, the dynamic eHorizon, how data from the cloud can predict the road ahead, ultimately reducing fuel consumption and making vehicles safer. Continental has used the static eHorizon in commercial vehicle market since 2012 and says it has demonstrated that this technology, which u
  • McCain releases latest traffic signal controllers
    April 26, 2013
    US manufacturer and supplier of intelligent transportation systems, McCain, is claiming that its latest traffic signal controllers effectively bring the open architecture, modular design, and advanced functionality of the Model 2070 controller platform to NEMA TS 1/TS 2 Type 2 and NEMA TS 2 Type 1 applications. Both the 2070EN1 NEMA and 2070EN2 NEMA controllers have been designed to fully comply with the most current specifications from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Transportation E
  • Priority for safety and interoperability, need for DSRC
    July 18, 2012
    Justin McNew, Chief Technology Officer, Kapsch TrafficCom Inc., USA offers his opinion of where 5.9GHz DSRC technology will head in the coming years. The debate ranges back and forth over the most suitable technological solution for future tolling and charging in the US. However, the coming trend is common cooperative infrastructure: instrumented roads and vehicles with the capacity to communicate with each other over all manner of safety, mobility and traveller applications, many of which will involve fina