LENSED RAIL LIGHTS FOR PAVEMENT ILLUMINATION

THIS STUDY WAS INITIATED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RAIL LIGHTS EQUIPPED WITH FRESNEL LENSES, AND TO VERIFY SOME ASSUMPTIONS MADE WHEN SPECIFYING ILLUMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INTERCHANGE OF THE RIVERFRONT ARTERIAL AND SOUTH MALL EXPRESSWAY IN ALBANY. INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED FROM OBSERVATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS ON MOCKUP INSTALLATIONS, AS WELL AS A COMPLETED PORTION OF THE INTERCHANGE. THE DATA CONFIRMED THAT LIGHT DISTRIBUTION WAS BETTER THAN OBTAINED FROM REFLECTOR-TYPE FIXTURES. IN-SERVICE PERFORMANCE ON THE OPENED PORTION OF THE INTERCHANGE HAS REVEALED PROBLEMS WITH DIRT ACCUMULATION, PILED SNOW, LENS BREAKAGE, AND ELECTRICAL FAILURES DUE TO WATER. A THERMOSTAT CONTROL TO ENERGIZE THE LIGHTS WHEN TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW 5 DEG F HAS PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY. FIXTURE SPACING IN THIS INSTALLATION DOES RESULT IN A FLICKERING SENSATION WHEN ONE DRIVES PAST, AS ANTICIPATED. ILLUMINATION AND DELINEATION PROVIDED BY RAIL LIGHTS IN FOG IS SUPERIOR TO THAT PROVIDED BY OVERHEAD LUMINAIRES. IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE LENS BREAKAGE, LENSES MOLDED FROM A HIGH-IMPACT-RESISTANT POLYCARBONATE PLASTIC ("LEXAN") HAVE BEEN TESTED. USING THIS MATERIAL AND SLIGHTLY MODIFYING LENS CONFIGURATION RESULTS IN A LENS MORE RESISTANT TO IMPACT THAN THE ACRYLIC LENSES NOW USED. SOME REDUCTION IN ROADWAY ILLUMINATION DOES RESULT FROM THIS CHANGE IN LENS MATERIAL AND CONFIGURATION, BUT OBSERVERS BELIEVE SUFFICIENT LIGHT IS AVAILABLE FOR THE DRIVING TASK. /FHWA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • RSRCH PROJ 36-3 NYSDOT-ERD-73 RR 21
• Corporate Authors:

  New York State Department of Transportation

  Engineering Research and Development Bureau, 1220 Washington Avenue
  Albany, NY  United States  12232
• Authors:
  • McCarty, W M
  • Hiss, J G
• Publication Date: 1973-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 58 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Interchanges; Lenses (Geology); Light; Lighting; Luminaires; Night visibility; Plastics; Railroad rails; Street lighting; Thermostats
• Old TRIS Terms: Lenses (Excluding soils)
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219790
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: RR 21
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jun 26 2003 12:00AM