The Arizona Department of Transportation recently unveiled plans for a highway lighting project in Flagstaff that supports roadway safety and the city’s commitment to “dark skies” – an effort to use full-cutoff fixtures that cast little or no light upward in public areas to help protect nocturnal animals from light pollution.
[Above photo by Arizona DOT]
The project – set to start in May – aims to replace more than 370 outdated high pressure sodium highway light fixtures with amber light emitting diode or LED lights in locations under Arizona DOT’s jurisdiction. The agency said results from test locations indicate amber LED lights effectively reduce impacts on the brightness of the night sky.
Locations where lighting will be converted to amber LED include all I-17 and I-40 interchanges in Flagstaff, including the large interchange connecting the two interstates. Lighting also will be switched along stretches of Milton Road and Route 66 – also known as Santa Fe Boulevard – near and in the downtown Flagstaff area.
“Preparing for this project involved collaboration with partners as our team developed and tested LED lighting that meets our safety standards, especially for pedestrians and cyclists, while also supporting dark skies and astronomy in the area,” said Jeremy DeGeyter, Arizona DOT’s Northcentral district administrator, in a statement. “We appreciate that the city and dark skies supporters took part in the process.”
“This project didn’t happen overnight,” added Chris Luginbuhl, president of the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition. “[We] have been in conversations with Arizona DOT for many years to reach this solution. The result shows that there are ways to provide the visibility and safety needed on the roadways while preserving a star-filled sky. It really is a win-win.”
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