The Highways Agency, concerned about congestion along the M27 from J4 to J7 have commissioned me to procure new lighting for this dual three lane motorway. They are adamant that they want the new lighting to be verge mounted, and are insistent that there are high levels of illumination.
I have gone to Stainton and purchased some 15m tall galvanised octagonal steel columns from them. I have also purchased some siamese twin brackets, but have requested that the radius at which they protrude from the columns is larger. I then approached Philips and purchased some remote geared SRS201s with 180W SOX lamps, but with grey plastic spigot covers as used on the continent which give the appearance of small shoes. I chose remote geared lanterns for health and safety purposes, as they mitigate risks for manual handling by street lighting crews, reduce the strain on brackets, and are less likely to cause injury if a lantern should fall to the ground during an accident. The end result is a modern incarnation of what until recently could be found on the
Belgian E19 motorway between Brussels and Antwerp.
The Highways Agency are also no longer content with the A27 north of Portsmouth between the M27 and A3(M) being unlit in the central reservation. So, between Hilsea and Farlington I have purchased some 12m Stainton galvanised octagonal steel columns, and between Farlington and Broadmarsh I have purchased some 15m Stainton galvanised steel columns. I have purchased some geared Philips SRS201 180W SOX lanterns for the 12m columns. Meanwhile, for the 15m columns I have sourced some lanterns from a foreign manufacturer called Chue Chin Hua (CCH) Ltd. of Thailand, and opted for their HS3 lanterns running 400W SON. It is no coincidence that the new lighting is a bit like going back into the past, especially in the case of the 15m columns with their lookalike GEC Z8536 'turtles' which make the road look like it did back in 1980.