Skip to main content

Safer with 3i Innovation’s lighting for Mount Victoria Tunnel

In New Zealand, 3i Innovation's on-road markers and Tunnel Guidance markers are providing emergency evacuation lighting for the refurbished iconic Mount Victoria tunnel in the capital city Wellington.
January 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
3i in Wellington’s Victoria Tunnel

In New Zealand, 151 3i Innovation's on-road markers and Tunnel Guidance markers are providing emergency evacuation lighting for the refurbished iconic Mount Victoria tunnel in the capital city Wellington.

The 85-year-old State Highway 1 tunnel is a part of the route from Wellington Airport to the rest of the country’s North Island. It also connects the eastern suburbs to the central city and beyond. The extensive upgrade started in April 2015 and was completed in June.

Upgrade includes energy efficient LED 'intelligent' systems. Lights dim and brighten at the portals in response to outdoor light.

Conditions for driving through the tunnel have been improved with 1,000 light-reflecting white panels beside the carriageway, a new paint palette and inductively powered LED road markers along the sides and centreline. The panels are fire-resistant, adding to the tunnel’s safety profile.

The LED road delineators - are electronically programmed to pulse and strobe in sequence toward the exits in an emergency, guiding people safely out. The system is a world-first use of delineators to this extent, according to the agency.

3i’s work on the project included the supply and commissioning of 124 Tunnel Guidance Markers, 64 Tunnel Lane Markers and associated power supplies - 2x IPL1200i and 1x IPH2000i – along with customised firmware for the emergency modes.

The Tunnel Lane Markers in the centre line provide greater safety through stronger delineation and alignment - critical for the management of bi-directional tunnels, says 3i.

During normal conditions the markers are on standby at a dimmed light output. In the event of an emergency the markers will turn on and cascade towards the safest exit to guide pedestrians out of the tunnel.

Emergency mode activation causes the LED road and edge markers to cascade towards the nearest safe exit.

The tunnel has also been repainted inside and out with a colour scheme that features light blue inside the portals and along the walkway, soft white on the lower walls and new carriageway wall panels, as well as black on the ceiling.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Doka feels the heat in Qatar orbital highway project
    September 19, 2019
    The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is getting closer so completing major infrastructure projects on time has been a priority for the government. The Gulf state is also in the midst of its Qatar National Vision 2030, launched in 2008 with the aim to "transform Qatar into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development" by 2030. Improving infrastructure will help the country of just under 3 million people attain greater social and economic levels, according to the government. Finishing critic
  • Traffic control to beat congestion
    November 6, 2012
    Max Lay discusses how congestion has posed problems throughout history from early civilisation to the present day One of the earliest known human settlements was at the Springs of Elisha at Jericho. Inevitably, locals collecting fresh water from the springs would encounter other water carriers. When a path was too narrow, or access to it was too limited, or it crossed another path, some carriers would find it necessary to stand aside for others. Priority in such cases might be based on common courtesy and p
  • New report lays out concrete steps toward safer roads
    July 31, 2023
    Countries can reduce deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by flipping the traditional mobility hierarchy and adopting the Safe System approach. That is the finding of a new report from the Sustainable Mobility for All Initiative (SuM4All) presented at a press event of the ITF Summit held in Leipzig.
  • Davidson launches the Spinner
    February 6, 2012
    DAVIDSON Traffic Control Products is "rounding out" its offering of channeliser posts with the introduction of the Spinner, a screw-in base for its new DP 200 channeliser post.