(April 23, 2015) – The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) is starting a $7.6 million highway lighting upgrade along US 50 between the Anne Arundel County/Prince George’s County line and MD 70 (Rowe Boulevard). The project will begin early May.
SHA’s contractor, Traffic Systems, Inc. of Harmans, will replace the original aging system, including underground conduits, electrical cables and underpass lighting systems. Crews will construct concrete foundations and install new poles, averaging about three poles each day. The lighting upgrades should be complete spring 2018, weather permitting.
The new systems will be LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting along the highway and including interchanges at MD 424 (Davidsonville Road), I-97, MD 665 (Aris T. Allen Boulevard/Riva Road), MD 178 (Generals Highway), MD 450 (Defense Highway), MD 2 (Solomons Island Road) and MD 70 (Rowe Boulevard).
Additionally, re-designed light poles and mast arms will more effectively direct lighting onto the highway and reduce illumination of grassy surfaces, non-travel lanes, and nearby buildings or residential areas.
“Using the latest technology with modern highway lighting systems is enabling SHA to be more efficient and reduce our overall carbon footprint,” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters. “The latest LED systems will significantly improve safety by pinpointing light onto travel lanes with greater precision.”
(Photo courtesy of Century Engineering/ left is westbound US 50 near Castle Marina Road in Queen Anne’s County with older sodium illumination and right is eastbound US 50 LED lighting.)
With the completion of this project, this corridor of US 50 will only have 430 light poles instead of 490, a nearly 13 percent reduction. The new LED technology and reduced number of light poles will save approximately 20-25 percent of annual energy costs for this corridor.
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