Tunnel and Underpass lighting

What Is LED Tunnel Lighting?

LED tunnel lights are the immediate and essential lighting solution to lighting up tunnels. You know that tunnels are greatly common everywhere. You are bound to experience a tunnel or two each time you go somewhere. Underground tunnels have been made to lessen traffic load, and these tunnels with proper LED tunnel lights will be entirely dark, which is not practical.

Did you know that LED tunnel lights are designed to withstand darkened space, multiple temperatures, and impeccable resistance to water? They are your one-way solution to completely illuminating tunnels. Using these fascinating LEDs safeguards the traffic using the tunnel and helps the bigger picture at hand, which is to prevent annoying traffic jams.

Types of Tunnels

Officially speaking, tunnels are known as either long or short. The easiest way to categorize a tunnel is simple. Short tunnels are those where the exit of the tunnel can be seen from the entrance. Meaning, that it is often the case that very short tunnels with turns are considered long since the driver cannot see the exit.

Tunnels come in all types of sizes, ranging from straight and short to long and bent.

• Short and straight tunnels are accessible to light; you need only place LED tunnel lights on both walls of the pathway.
• Long tunnels can be intricate to light since most have sharp or circular turns, which require precision and skills to cross. Making sure the correct lights are installed in such tunnels can significantly reduce the number of accidents.

Some tunnels tend to be built near water bodies or have water pockets nearby, which tend to seep out onto the walls with time. This water may hinder the electrical wires; hence you should always take care to purchase waterproof lights.

With all these numerous types of tunnels, the question arises: What is the best way to light them? Many factors play into this procedure so much that you will see that even similarly structured tunnels may require the different fitting of LED tunnel lights.

Factors that Affect the Lighting in a Tunnel

Some of the main factors that act as deciding factors of the intensity, number, and type of LED tunnel lights best fit for specific situations include the following:

Tunnel Length

Tunnel length can be highly varied, but it plays into whether you need to have the LED tunnel lights switched on in the mornings or not.

• A tunnel lesser than 25m may not require LED tunnel lights in the morning since the daylight can prove sufficient for lighting it up. This tunnel can be easily lit at night with minimal LED tunnel lights.
• Moving on, a tunnel length ranging from 25m to 75m will have other factors affecting the lighting required. Some may get away with no LED tunnel lights in the morning, but most will need about 50% of the standard threshold of the zone lighting level.
• Similarly, tunnels going from 75m to 125m will require a mix. Some may be sufficiently lit with 50% of the average threshold, but some would require a complete 100% lighting per the zone lighting level.

Any tunnel length surpasses 125m will assuredly need to be appropriately lit no matter the other factors since the sheer length overrides them all.

Distance Of Exit From The Entrance

The distance of exit fantastically works hand in hand with the length. Technically, all the factors work together, each affecting the other to influence the end lighting decision. The exit factor will not affect any tunnel lesser than 25m, but it plays a vital role for tunnels going up to 75m.

The visibility of the exit may allow the tunnel to be lighted with minimal lights, whereas if the exit is not, then a 50% of the zone lighting level is required. Similarly, tunnels going up to 125m will require a 50% zone lighting level if the exit is visible or a complete 100% if not.

Tunnels above 125m are not affected by this factor since the length of the tunnel requires a complete 100% of the zone lighting level.

Daylight Penetration

Daylight penetration comes into play for tunnels 25m and above, and tunnels with visible exits are not affected by daylight penetration due to obvious reasons. Tunnels till 75m with no visible exit visible, but good daylight penetration will require minimal lights.

A poor daylight penetration calls for 50% of the standard threshold of the zone lighting level for the tunnel to be lit as per regulations. Tunnels of 75m to 125m with good daylight penetration need 50% of the standard threshold of the zone lighting level. In contrast, tunnels with poor penetration of daylight are best fitted for a total lighting installation.

Wall Reflectance

Wall reflectance affects the daylight penetration factor, with a high reflectance number (>0.4) resulting in fewer lights to be required. In contrast, a low number (<0.2) of wall reflectance in tunnels requires more LED tunnel lights.

Tunnel Location

Tunnel location plays into the lighting criteria. Underground tunnels need to be adequately lit as they receive no daylight. It is recommended that you have professionals scope out the tunnel before deciding on the lighting to save costs and receive a satisfactory result!

Daily Traffic

There is no doubt that heavy traffic requires more lighting compared to tunnels that experience low traffic levels. A properly lit tunnel is the best way to prevent any accidents and keep the public safe.

A traffic accident that results in the closure of the tunnel can prove highly disastrous for you! We at RC Lite help you choose the best fit for your tunnel. We use the above factors and the zone lighting regulations as a guideline when helping you choose LED tunnel lights.

Important Considerations for LED Tunnel Lighting

Keep in mind the following important aspect regarding brightness, lux levels, positioning, and color temperatures in the tunnel lighting.

Color Temperature

Tunnel lighting is supposed to mimic the daylight, but it shouldn’t be too overwhelming to distract drivers. For this purpose, warm-colored LEDs are used at the entrance of the tunnels so that the person’s eyes can adjust easily and quickly. 2000K- 3000K LEDs having yellowish and amber hues help in maintaining comfort.  

In the center, bright cool colored lights are used for maximum clarity. A high CRI of more than 70 is appropriate for tunnel lighting so that the drivers and passengers can easily distinguish colors inside the tunnels. HID, on the other hand, offers 20 CRI that is extremely low for this application.

Uniform Lighting

To avoid dark spots and shadows in the tunnels, uniform lighting has to be employed, especially at turns. LEDs are your best choice for achieving uniform lighting.

Weather Resistance

Tunnels lights are highly susceptible to corrosion, dust, and harsh weather conditions. Tunnel LEDs must have a high IP rating. IP68 or more keeps the LEDs protected against any seepage, fungus, and corrosive elements in the roofs of the tunnel.

Flicker-Free and Anti-Glare Lights

A flickering light in the tunnel always gives off a spooky and uncomfortable feeling. LEDs have a negligible flicker rate and can keep the tunnel evenly illuminated at all times.

Glare is another important consideration as it can cause fatal accidents. The positioning of the lamps should be as such to avoid any glare effects.

Benefits of LED Tunnel Lighting

It is no hidden fact that LEDs have been dominating the lighting industry with their unmatched efficiency and overall output. Their durability and brightness are second to none and significantly add to their value of being the best!

LEDs are also very safe to use, meaning that they are green and entirely environmentally friendly. You can never experience any issues with environmental activists over the lighting methods if you employ LED tunnel lights from RC Lite.

Long-Lasting

Due to the nature of tunnels and their usage, it is not often that tunnel lights are replaced. But you don’t have to worry at all when you have LED tunnel lights installed! LEDs are known for their stable features and are reportedly famous for providing the same brightness even decades from being installed.

This aspect of LED tunnel lights makes it an absolute steal since regular light replacement in tunnels tends dangerously, especially during the late hours. Also, many accidents due to low visibility can be avoided.

Low Maintenance

LEDs and maintenance are two words that are rarely used together in a sentence. The reason for that is super simple! LEDs require almost no maintenance at all! Is that not amazing?

This feature of LEDs significantly improves them for dark tunnels since regular maintenance in tunnels is quite a complicated procedure. Moreover, a low maintenance aspect reduces costs allowing the money to be used on other matters that require it.

In short, you are sure to find it easier since you won’t have to worry about hiring a replacement team regularly for the tunnel. A bi-monthly checkup would do just fine to have LED tunnel lights working magnificently for a decade or two!

No Heat Emission

You are assured never of having a problem with your LEDs emitting heat. LEDs, with their powerful, innovative technology, give off negligible amounts of heat! T is incredibly effective since tunnel temperature needs to be maintained to a certain standard. Having overheated lights can only be a cause for concern.

Plus, with no heated-up lights, you are sure that there will be no misfortunate explosions, especially during rush hours! With our heavily tested LED lights, you are never going to experience any problems!

Reduced Operating Costs

LEDs are simple and easy-to-use, quick to install, and require absolutely no additional shenanigans to work. It’s simple as fitting them in the allocated space and switching them on. Yes, that’s all to it!

There are no extra items that need to be installed to get the LED tunnel lights to work! Nope, all you need are the essential elements that we at RC Lite provide. We even provide an installation guide of our popular LED lighting. We even offer a professional team for installing the lights.

Our maintenance team is also available for your comfort. Ring us up, and we are sure to find any issue fixed within a short time!

Optimized Brightness

With their intense output levels, LEDs are the absolute best choice for any lighting situation. Do you know that they can even replicate the light of the sun? This would be a godsend, especially for dark tunnels that the daylight cannot penetrate through,

LED tunnel lights have to be switched on and working 24/7; hence optimized brightness and stable output are greatly sought after. We are proud to say the lights at RC Lite deliver.

 With our high-powered and innovative LED tunnel lights, you will never experience them dim over time. Plus, you will continue to see that they provide uniform brightness for years!

Durable

LED tunnel lights are bound to go through strenuous activity since tunnels are used every time of the week all year long. It is not feasible that the tunnel is out of service for long durations since it will cause a significant inconvenience for traffic.

LEDs work better in illuminating a tunnel than streets and outdoor projects. The lights required to light up 1 km of a tunnel can light up 25 km of a highway. This shows how hard and complex the maintenance of tunnel lighting can be. But LEDs are durable and reliable in all conditions. They don’t require regular maintenance and can help you save a lot of money.

Why Buy LED Tunnel Lightings from RC Lighting?

Why should you buy LED tunnel lights from us? We provide the best of the best, that’s a given, but we also have something utterly exclusive to us! Our lights are compelling and durable. Each of them goes through fourteen strenuous tests to ensure their performance is completely optimized.

Any such light that fails even a single test is deposed; hence quality is our second nature. You will never receive outdoor lights from us that is of low quality.