COMPANY NEWS
Light control for Milwaukee interchange tunnels
Mar 2012
Nyx Hemera Technologies News Release
- Intelligent control of the lighting in three tunnels built as part of the new Mitchell Interchange in Milwaukee, USA, is in the hands of a sophisticated system developed and installed by Nyx Hemera Technologies of Quebec City, Canada.
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TLACS control of the tunnel luminaries
- The company's TLACS (Tunnel Lighting Addressable Control System) manages the lighting stages of the tunnel luminaires to reduce the black hole effect at the entrances and provide a smooth transition to daylight at the exits. The system comprises a luminance camera (LCAM), a network controller (NWC), and local product controllers (LPC).
- The contract in Milwaukee with Schréder, the supplier of the tunnel luminaries, was completed within three weeks from design to installation in order to be up and running for scheduled opening of the new interchange by the end of December 2011.
- President and Chief Executive Officer Nyx Hemera Technologies, Pierre Longtin, explained that the TLACS can adapt to any brand and type of luminaire and to any kind of new or existing tunnel. "Thanks to that flexibility our experienced team made possible the delivery of a ready-to-install working system in a timely manner."
- The main benefits of the TLACS for tunnel operators include significant energy savings, a reduction in operational costs, and increased security. The system allows for individual addressing of each luminaire, which helps to adjust brightness in tunnel entrances according to exterior lighting. TLACS also features a preventive maintenance program, which generates complete diagnostics, such as the age of each luminaire. The system is marketed worldwide by Nyx Hemera Technol for both tunnel refurbishing projects as well as new developments.
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Three tunnels complete the new interchange
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Top-out of cut-and-cover construction
- The three-lane cut-and-cover tunnels on the Milwaukee contract are about 60ft wide x 600-800ft (18m x 180-250m) long and are part of a $162 million project to rebuild the aging Mitchell Interchange between interstate highways I-894 and I-94. Two of the tunnels carry traffic from eastbound to northbound while a third carries traffic southbound through the interchange. Tunnels were selected as a better option than stacked elevated carriageways to replace the old elevated structures.
- Lights in the entrances and exits are actually controlled to be dimmer during the night and brighter during the day so as to require less adjustment and avoid shock to the eyes of drivers. Completed originally in the 1960s, the interchange now carries an average 195,000 vehicles per day. Its reconstruction is part of a larger $1.9 billion project to rebuild I-94 from downtown Milwaukee to the Illinois state line.
- ISO for tunnel lighting management system - TunnelTalk, April 2011
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