This Bridge Engineer’s Blog has shared a number of posts about lighting. We’ve told you about lighting designs and temperature, about the work being done to create the lighting, we’ve even shared the history of lighting on the bridge. So why are we so excited about it?
In short, the lighting works are a major part of the Rochester Bridge Refurbishment Project and a lot of care and consideration has gone into the different modern and heritage designs. They are also an easy piece of work for you to identify and have the most obvious impact on your safe use of the bridges.
The new lighting will quite obviously be different on the New Bridge and Old Bridge, but both bridges will have one thing in common: they will be lit using LEDs.
There are many advantages of changing to LED lights. These include:
• Longevity – traditional bulbs have filaments that burn out quicker compared to LEDs.
• Reduced maintenance requirements as bulbs need to be replaced less often.
• They are highly energy efficient.
• With regards this specific location, LEDs will also tie in with Medway Council’s approach in neighbouring areas where LEDs have been or are about to be implemented.
As part of the new lighting system we will also be installing a Central Management System (CMS). The inclusion of antennae within the new lighting units means the central system will be able to communicate with each individual lighting unit, giving us greater control over the lighting on the bridges.
The system will allow us as users to control each unit individually, so we can adjust switching or dimming remotely, as well as programming triggers such as switching on in relation to low ambient light.
Other benefits of the CMS include:
• Remote fault monitoring and diagnosis, which will help the Term Maintenance Contractor to quickly react to any issues that may occur.
• The ability to record the active time for each lamp, allowing for a level of planning in relation to when the LEDs in a particular unit may need to be replaced.
• A complete record of energy consumption will be kept.
All of which adds up to a lighter workload and “lighter” bridges – it’s a win/win situation!
