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.

Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • LiDAR surveying is making inroads into asset management
    December 18, 2017
    In the coming age of the autonomous vehicle, fast and accurate LiDAR surveying will be increasingly important, explains Valdis Vanags. The game-changing introduction of autonomous vehicles relies not only on intelligent traffic systems but well maintained roads to help computer-guided systems navigate using road markings. Laser scanning technology, too, is a game changer when it comes to planning and executing many civil engineering projects, including transport network upgrades and smart city initiatives.
    Read More
  • Italy's new southern highway route
    May 13, 2021
    An important new highway route is currently under construction in South Italy
    Read More
  • Doka handles Austria tunnel upgrade
    January 4, 2017
    A key section of the busy A12 route in Austria’s Tyrol area has been refurbished with help from formwork specialist Doka. The company devised a formwork traveller featuring steel panels so as to help build a new inner shell for the twin-tube Senftenberg Gallery tunnel. The job involved 36 pouring sections for work on the first tube followed by a break to accommodate winter tourist travel. After some minor modifications the same formwork traveller was then re-used for another pouring a further 36 sections on
    Read More
  • Chinese highway project under construction
    February 9, 2017
    China’s infrastructure expansion programme is in the process of transforming the country. Meanwhile its construction market is the largest in the world, comprising around 25% of the country’s US$11 trillion economy. However, slowing domestic growth in recent years has encouraged the Chinese Government to invest in key infrastructure projects in a bid to improve the country’s transport connections.
    Read More

Highlighted Content