Here's a lineman inspecting a MTO concrete truss pole and probably preparing to disconnect or remove it. Note the rusted rebar and spalled concrete on the pole because of water penetrating the concrete and expanding during the freeze/thaw cycle.
Yeah I'm not totally sure what they are doing, looks like he may be disconnecting the wires but also could just be checking the fuses, maybe I'll try to get a ride by there tomorrow and see what has happened.
Ouch. These poles sure are old! Some of the aluminum poles we have here are from the 50's and 60's and still standing up fine. The infamous davit poles and M-400 FCO are killign off the older poles. I'd love to save at least an arm, but with the space I have, I'd rather use it for fixtures instead of arms.
There won't be any major contruction on state roads and highways for a long while now since the state has not money to possibly afford another big expense. Providence almost went bankrupt and the state came pretty close too. I suppose the old poles not being replaced could be a positive to that... I hope this mess gets fixed though because the economy is going to hell in a handbasket. BTW, i'm guessing the repalcements are highmasts right? I don't mind highmasts, but i like the drop lens ones made by holophane that used to be common in the early days of highmasts. There used to be three installations of highmasts that i knew of on interstates in RI (besides lonley poles at truckstops along I-95 which were also removed). The largest one (I-295 @ Exit 6A-B-C) was removed and replaced with M-400 FCOs. The highmasts were either 400W MV or MH. Now there HPS highmasts in front of the Providence Place Mall (I-95 @ Exit 22A-B-C) and either 400W MH of MV ones on I-95 @ Exit 7 in Coventry.
@Mike, yeah ultimately they're putting high masts on the stretch of freeway but for now there are AEL 125s on temp wooden poles and tapered e arms. Ontario is still reconstructing and extending some of their freeways for now...
@Rick, I believe they were checking the lights for any failed fixtures but all of these lights and poles have been taken down now.
Interesting how they took these down and put up temporary lighting before the highmasts were put up. Here they always install the new poles and lights first, keeping the old lights connected until they're done installing the new ones. Then they switch the power from the old lights to the new ones and remove the old lights when they're all finished. When new lights will be installed, the square conrete bases are usually set about a month in advance.
Yeah, I think they had to put up temp lights here since the old lights had to be removed before the bases for the high masts can be cast, they're putting them in the median and changing the old guardrail median to a new jersey barrier so it's going to take some time before they can get the highmasts up and running. When they redid the 427 the MTO was able to keep the old lights until the new high masts where up though.
I have a good number of pics taken around this area too showing the lights from 2009 to now...if you want I could put up a few pics of the freeway. Oh and in case you're wondering most of the old lights were AEL 125s but a few M-400R2s, M-400A3s and B2225s were mixed in.
Somehow i think the bases NGrid/RIDOT uses are pre-cast since they're square and all look identical and professionally cast. I've never seen them pouring cement or using molds either. They probably use a crane to put the bases in like they do to install the poles though I've never had the luck of seeing a highway pole installed. I have seen NGrid trucks relamping lights with individual PCs though in Rte 37. A good dozen are dayburners already. The black PCs they're using are CRAP!
Interesting, our bases are cast on site, the smaller bases as well as bases for overhead signs and side mounted highmast poles are round and usually use one of those cardboard tube molds when they cast them. The bases set in the jersey barriers have their own metal mold, and are cast before they start pouring the cement for the median.
I wonder why RIDOT uses individually switched lights on state routes over here almost all MTO installs (even intersections) are all group switched with a pole mounted relay cabinet controlled by a remote PC further up the pole.
I don't know for sure exactly why, but here's my best guess as to why:
Originally, all the state lighting and RIDOT lighting was owned, operated, and leased to them by Narragansett Electric. These lights were originally GE and Westinghouse 400W MV 240V reactor units with 120V PC receptacles. The lights were leased to RIDOT in the same way lights on wood poles are leased to towns and cities with the annual rental fee and kWh charge.
The electric company never had anything to do with relays and the same held true for RIDOT lighting. Maybe it was so they could get more money from the state becuase of more parts to service? Anyways, after NGrid took over, there have been some sections (a couple miles or so) of existing lighting that has been "retrofitted" (if that's a usable term) from individual PCs to relays over the years on I-95 and other state highways and interstates. I'm guessing they just add a relay in between the power supply and lights. I think they used multiple circuts when they wired the lights becuase there are stetches over a mile long controlled by one relay (probably with multiple poles). The lights were exactly the same specs as the ones used for wood poles, except 25ft davits or trusses were used. The were all 240V with 120V photocells.
On I-295 they replaced the poles and lights starting a few years back. Most of the lights on I-295 I have never seen lit. The lights almost seem neglected on I-295, which is essentially an alternate route for I-95 that goes around the downtown areas instead of through them. When the 250W HPS M-250R2s took over, I'm not sure if they used 240V units with 120V PCs or if they capped the second hot and used a 120V ballast. I have no clue what voltage is used for the new FCO M-400s on the tall davits though since they all use relays and shorting caps. It's msot liekly either 240V or 480V though...
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I must have been thinking of this stretch of the 401 which does indeed have B2213s
There won't be any major contruction on state roads and highways for a long while now since the state has not money to possibly afford another big expense. Providence almost went bankrupt and the state came pretty close too. I suppose the old poles not being replaced could be a positive to that... I hope this mess gets fixed though because the economy is going to hell in a handbasket. BTW, i'm guessing the repalcements are highmasts right?
@Rick, I believe they were checking the lights for any failed fixtures but all of these lights and poles have been taken down now.
I have a good number of pics taken around this area too showing the lights from 2009 to now...if you want I could put up a few pics of the freeway. Oh and in case you're wondering most of the old lights were AEL 125s but a few M-400R2s, M-400A3s and B2225s were mixed in.
I wonder why RIDOT uses individually switched lights on state routes over here almost all MTO installs (even intersections) are all group switched with a pole mounted relay cabinet controlled by a remote PC further up the pole.
Originally, all the state lighting and RIDOT lighting was owned, operated, and leased to them by Narragansett Electric. These lights were originally GE and Westinghouse 400W MV 240V reactor units with 120V PC receptacles. The lights were leased to RIDOT in the same way lights on wood poles are leased to towns and cities with the annual rental fee and kWh charge.
The electric company never had anything to do with relays and the same held true for RIDOT lighting. Maybe it was so they could get more money from the state becuase of more parts to service? Anyways, after NGrid took over, there have been some sections (a couple miles or so) of existing lighting that has been "retrofitted" (if that's a usable term) from individual PCs to relays over the years on I-95 and other state highways and interstates. I'm guessing they just add a relay in between the power supply and lights. I think they used multiple circuts when they wired the lights becuase there are stetches over a mile long controlled by one relay (probably with multiple poles). The lights were exactly the same specs as the ones used for wood poles, except 25ft davits or trusses were used. The were all 240V with 120V photocells.
On I-295 they replaced the poles and lights starting a few years back. Most of the lights on I-295 I have never seen lit. The lights almost seem neglected on I-295, which is essentially an alternate route for I-95 that goes around the downtown areas instead of through them. When the 250W HPS M-250R2s took over, I'm not sure if they used 240V units with 120V PCs or if they capped the second hot and used a 120V ballast. I have no clue what voltage is used for the new FCO M-400s on the tall davits though since they all use relays and shorting caps. It's msot liekly either 240V or 480V though...