Measurement of Pavement Surface Reflectance for a Balloon Lighting System
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 10
Abstract
Nighttime construction offers many advantages to the public and to state agencies. Under these conditions, traffic is minimal and construction operations can be conducted effectively and quickly. In addition, cooler temperatures are favorable for the equipment and the material being installed. Despite these advantages, controlling glare is a critical and important issue in adequately lighting highway work zones. One of the controlling parameters in glare calculation is the pavement luminance, which is a quantitative measure of the surface brightness. Pavement luminance is based on predefined parameters known as values provided by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) for four standard pavement surfaces in the tables. With the recent introduction of balloon lighting system for construction applications, the objective of this study was to measure pavement reflectance characteristics for this system in the laboratory and to compare the results to the standard tables. For this purpose, a laboratory experimental setup was developed. On average, measured values were 20% greater than the IESNA standard values for concrete surfaces , 84% greater for standard surfaces, and 95% greater for standard surfaces. An analysis of variance statistical analysis indicated that the differences between the measured values and standard tables were not significant for concrete surfaces but were statistically significant for asphalt road surfaces. This was attributed to the weathering of the road samples used in this study, to the shorter towers used with balloon lights, and to major changes in asphalt construction practices and mix ingredients in the past . Recommendations based on the results of this study are presented.
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Acknowledgments
This paper is based on the results of ICT-R27-2, Nighttime Construction: Evaluation of Lighting Glare for Highway Construction in Illinois. ICT-R27-2 was conducted in cooperation with the Illinois Center for Transportation, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The contents of this paper reflect the view of the writers, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents of this paper only reflect the view of the writers. The assistance of Riley Barron, Ibrahim Odeh, and John Wessels is greatly appreciated. The writers would also like to thank Airstar America Inc. for supplying the balloon light used in this study.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 10 • October 2008
Pages: 432 - 437
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 7, 2007
Accepted: Mar 21, 2008
Published online: Oct 1, 2008
Published in print: Oct 2008
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