Two technicians at work on the causeway LED lighting system.
PHILIPSBURG–Technicians expect to have the light emitting diode (LED) lights on the Simpson Bay causeway fully operational within the first quarter of 2017, Port of St. Maarten announced in a press release on Sunday.
“Weather, hurricane-related and frequent power outages have taken a toll on the lighting system at the causeway, leading Port St. Maarten Management to look at options to mitigate especially the electrical challenges due to power outages. The sensitivity of the system has been adjusted due to the frequent electrical power outages,” the Port explained.
The causeway lighting system uses LED technology. LED lighting solutions are highly efficient, long-lasting, environmentally-friendly and inherently controllable, enabling amazingly creative lighting visions and displays.
Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority (SLAC) has invested in an additional UPS power supply/surge protection system. The LED lighting system on the causeway is a unique system due to the size of the bridge, and therefore the lighting system was custom-made.
The swing bridge on the Causeway is 220 feet long and weighs 450 tons. The causeway has a total length of 2,493 feet and features a two-lane motorway, a bicycle track, footpaths and two roundabouts – at Airport Boulevard near the end of the runway and at Union Road near the border.
Several persons travelled to the U.S. State of Massachusetts in February 2016, where they were trained in Philips Color Kinetics lighting solutions based on LED technology.
LED lighting technology offers inherent advantages that require careful control and optimisation. At Philips Color Kinetics, a comprehensive approach to LED lighting is taken that goes beyond luminaries to encompass all key areas of LED technology.
Royal Philips, the parent company of Philips Color Kinetics, is the global leader in lighting. Once the lighting system is fully operational in early 2017, the remotely-programmed tuneable lights that produce dynamic and subtle colourful effects can be used to reflect special occasions.
On their return from the training, between February and June 2016, the technicians assessed the damage and developed a plan of action which has been in execution since July. The lighting system should be fully operational within the first quarter of 2017.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/63629-simpson-bay-causeway-led-lights-soon-fully-operational
View comments
Hide comments