Good-bye Cobra Head, Hello High-Pressure Sodium Lights

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--Good-bye Cobra Head, Hello High- Pressure Sodium Lights

New and improved lighting at the interchange of Highway 111 and Victoria Road in the Halifax Regional Municipality is expected to make driving safer and save money for taxpayers.

For the past few months, contractors have been installing new high-pressure sodium lights at the interchange to replace the nearly 40-year-old lamp and pole system called a cobra head.

"We expect our new lighting system to be operational during the week of March 18," said Ron Russell, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "This is good news for the motoring public and our staff."

The high-pressure sodium lights on high-mast poles are more powerful than the old system and need fewer lamps and poles to cover the same area. The lights are also controlled by a winch system, which allows them to be serviced from the ground without the need of a bucket truck or ramp closures. This reduces maintenance costs to government and increases safety for workers.

The lighting system at the interchange was designed by the Halifax engineering firm of F.C. O'Neil, Scriven and Associates Ltd., and installed by Black and McDonald of Dartmouth. Holophane Canada Inc. supplied the poles and hardware.

There are 14 high-mast poles, each with a light, compared to 150 cobra head poles and lights, which were installed in the early 1960s.

More than 44,000 vehicles a day drive through the interchange.