New Lights Really Brighten Up Red Mountain Pass Snowshed Tunnel

There has been a lot of work on Red Mountain Pass this summer and one of the projects will really brighten motorists' way through the snowshed tunnel.

While there has been some unplanned work, like cleaning up after the mudslide in July, there has also been planned upgrades to the pass, too.

One of those upgrades was a $675,000 project to totally replace lighting in the snowshed tunnel located about eight miles north of the Red Mountain Pass summit.

When I say replace, that includes replacing 198 lights, wiring, and associated electrical components. That turned out to be three months of work.

The new lighting system has a program logic controller that monitors light conditions outside the tunnel. Then, it adjusts the lights inside the tunnel to provide the best visibility for motorists. The new lights are energy efficient LED which provides much more light and uses a lot less electricity.