Developing Guidelines for Daytime Lighting in Short Tunnels

This project is to formulate pragmatic directives for daytime lighting implementation within short tunnels. The objective of daytime tunnel lighting is to minimize the visual contrast between the tunnel interior and exterior, enabling drivers to navigate through the tunnel safely at the designated or recommended speed. In the case of short tunnels (< 410 feet), it is commonly assumed that natural sunlight can sufficiently illuminate them, obviating the need for artificial daytime lighting. However, this assumption is not always valid and depends on various factors such as tunnel design (e.g., culvert or span), portal dimensions, tunnel width, orientation, and the presence of medians (walls or piers), among other considerations. Previous research on driving safety in tunnels has shown that crash rates are considerably higher in shorter tunnels compared to longer ones [1]. Particularly, the crash rates were found to be higher in the entrance zones of tunnels (especially, threshold and transition zones) and become lower as drivers continue driving inside the tunnel.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $200,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  GDOT RP 24-04

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Georgia Department of Transportation

  One Georgia Center
  600 West Peachtree Street, NW
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30308
• Managing Organizations:

  Georgia Department of Transportation

  One Georgia Center
  600 West Peachtree Street, NW
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30308
• Project Managers:

  Jordan, Kamari

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF)

  310 E. Campus Rd.,
  Athens, GA  United States  30602
• Principal Investigators:

  Yang, Jidong

• Start Date: 20241031
• Expected Completion Date: 20261026
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Research and Development

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Guidelines; Lighting; Traffic safety; Vehicular tunnels
• Geographic Terms: Georgia
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01945454
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Georgia Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: GDOT RP 24-04
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 11 2025 3:10PM