LED Lighting

Kentucky Finishes Statewide LED Traffic Signal Retrofit

VALLEY VIEW, OH - An LED-for-incandescent traffic-signal lighting retrofit of nearly 3,000 intersections and nearly 500 school flashers, flashing beacons and advance-warning flashers on state-maintained routes throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky has been completed, according to GELcore, LLC, maker of the estimated 77,000 RX11 High-Visibility LED Traffic Signals installed during the five-month project.

Two organizations-the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Finance and Administration Cabinet's Division of Contracting and Engineering-initiated the retrofit to reduce operational and energy consumption costs by as much as $3.2 million a year.

"This is one of many projects in the Transportation Cabinet's efforts to become more efficient and cost effective," notes acting Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert. "Kentucky joins Delaware as the only states to use LED modules in all their traffic signals, school flashers and flashing beacons."

Many factors, including potential maintenance savings tied to the use of GELcore RX11 High-Visibility LED Traffic Signals, motivated Kentucky officials to pursue a statewide initiative. Some points of interest:

• The average life span of incandescent bulbs used in Kentucky traffic signals is 10-11 months.
• The average life expectancy of the chosen GELcore solution is 8-10 years.
• KYTC spent about $1.5 million in salaries and equipment usage annually replacing burned-out traffic signal bulbs.
• With LED illuminated traffic signals, maintenance workers are less frequently exposed to potentially hazardous, high-traffic job sites.

"We see this as a best-practices maintenance- and energy-savings story," says Kraig Kasler, vice president of marketing at GELcore. "This comprehensive installation of GELcore LED signals in Kentucky provides us with a platform for talking about the remarkable value of LEDs. We think government transportation officials throughout North America will take note."

RX11 High-Visibility LED Traffic Signals

The patent-pending optical design of the GELcore RX11 High-Visibility LED Traffic Signal features a unique lens system that provides an expanded viewing range and allows for precise control of light distribution to create maximum brightness. The product line meets a range of classifications of the EN 12368 standard and delivers superior visibility under varying conditions. Offered in 200mm and 300mm configurations, GELcore RX11 High-Visibility Traffic Signals are designed and rigorously tested to deal with conditions such as sun phantom, light uniformity and color washout, which incandescent traffic signals struggle to perform against. It comes with a five-year limited warranty, and the GELcore signals can deliver up to 90 percent energy savings compared to conventional traffic light sources.

Other notable product attributes:

• Easy to retrofit - Self-contained GELcore module allows direct retrofit in most signal heads.
• Easy to maintain - Patent-pending GELcore power supply works with various controllers.
• Less costly to maintain - Long-life GELcore LEDs cut operating and maintenance costs.
• Increased visibility - Monochromatic GELcore LEDs provide high contrast and brightness, dramatically improving visibility of traffic signals under all weather conditions, including rain, snow and fog.

The expansive line of GELcore RX11 products includes full balls, arrows, full countdown pedestrian and repeater LED signals.

About GELcore
GELcore LLC, a joint venture of General Electric Company and EMCORE Corporation, drives innovation, energy efficiency and cost savings for industries that use LED products, systems and solutions. Fitted with patented, low-voltage, long-life LED light engines, GELcore solutions deliver world-class, GE-grade performance. For more information about GELcore, please call 216.606.6555 or visit www.gelcore.com

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