THE North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corporation is set to upgrade over 1,300 roadway lights from Balagtas, Bulacan to the City of San Fernando City, Pampanga, a stretch of 33 kilometers, as part of its program to improve motorist safety and enhance customer experience.
Scheduled to start in February 2021, the project involves the replacement of the existing LED (light-emitting diode) lights to increase illumination or brightness level to 20 lux from the previous 16 lux, making it easier for drivers to see at night, and increase road awareness.
Compared to the conventional type of roadway lighting, LED lights are more energy-efficient, reliable, and durable since they can last an average of 70,000 operating hours. They are compact and work well in a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions including typhoons.
LEDs have good color rendering indexes or the ability to reveal the actual color of the object, which is very beneficial for night driving.
This type of light will provide a higher vision range for drivers, making it easier to read road and warning signs in advance, as well as help reduce glare from vehicle headlights.
The lights that will be installed at the NLEX are similar to those LEDs being used abroad, and even exceed the 12 lux standard of the Philippine Department of Energy. LED lights are also eco-friendly as they emit less heat and therefore minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
“This move aims to standardize our lighting and provide uniform luminosity of roadway lights for the entire NLEX system - from Balintawak all the way to areas in the north. At NLEX, we go beyond what is required by providing our motorists with adequate lighting for safer travel, as well as helping the environment by lessening our carbon footprint,” NLEX Corporation President and General Manager Luigi Bautista said, noting that “the project is targeted for completion by March.”
NLEX Corp. has been regularly implementing enhancement works on its expressways as it strives to deliver paramount service to its customers. On top of the routine maintenance activities such as roadway sweeping, grass cutting, tree pruning, and drainage cleaning, the tollway company also embarks on regular pavement repairs and lighting replacement.
In 2017, NLEX extended the lighted portion of the expressway alongside the construction of new expressway lanes in the said segment.
In 2020, it completed the replacement of 1,078 interchange and median LED lighting from NLEX Balintawak to Tabang. It has also heightened the illumination of the said lights from 12 lux to 20 lux.