DOT Lighting Systems: How to effectively navigate the design - permitting - construction process on a DOT Lighting project
DOT Lighting Design, how to navigate the permitting process.
When working on Street Lighting projects, we need to interact with the Department of Transportation (DOT). There is a wide range of situation in which we will need to comply with numerous requirements to implement a lighting design within a DOT project.
Among the most common Lighting projects that require DOT approvals are Street, pedestrian, and tunnel lighting. To add a layer of complexity, when it come to outdoor lighting systems, the electrical codes that apply could be the NEC or NESC. Local ordinances, utilities and the economics are factors we should consider.
There is a simple formula that I follow when it comes to any lighting design, it is the LC^2 formula. It states that the three factors that determine the system’s design are: Lights, Controls and Constructability, hence L*C*C.
The basic reference point to all Lighting Systems that the DOT approves is SAFETY. There are many other system’s aspects that the DOT evaluates when it comes to Lighting Projects. We will need to have in perspective that it is not only the Fc levels and Veiling Illuminance values, but location, mounting, proximity to other structures, aesthetics, etc.
My plan in this presentation is to briefly review all PRACTICAL aspects of the Design and Implementation of a Lighting Systems that needs an approval under the Department of Transportation standards. I will refer to my experience in Georgia, but the concepts apply to most States.
ISAAC DEGRACIA, MBA., MSEE.,
ENGINEER Sr.