Span Over the Hudson River an Engineering Marvel Again

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- An abandoned railroad bridge, considered an engineering marvel when it opened in 1888, has been reopened with a bright future as a scenic walkway and showcase for new technology.  Once the world's longest bridge, The Walkway Over the Hudson now has the distinction of being among the longest continuous structure completely illuminated by light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), who secured federal funds for the project noted, "over 100 years ago, this bridge represented the very best of American ingenuity.  Today it shines as another example of technological progress driven by upstate New Yorkers…with LEDs that will illuminate the Walkway Over The Hudson."

The 81,215 LED lights illuminating the 1.28 miles long span are a significant technological step up from Edison's standard incandescent bulbs.  LEDs use 90% less energy than the nearly 12 billion incandescent bulbs used worldwide that consume one-eighth of all electric power, according to Andy Neal, an Internationally recognized leader in the design and development of LED lighting.  

To extend these advantages evenly across the entire length of the bridge required inventing special controls.  The Walkway's engineer and architect, Bergman Associates of Rochester, NY also required the system be configured so lighting ran along just one side of the Walkway while illuminating its full width.  Another technological reach was to design the lengthy system to avoid "light pollution," misdirected or misused light, in accordance with New York State's "Dark Skies Initiative."

These technological and engineering challenges were fully met by LITgreen, a Poughkeepsie, NY based firm, that designs and sells prototypes for advanced LED lighting systems.  The bridge required 423 tubes, bundled into 43 sections for even lighting from end to end.  Each section consists of a 480 volt, 3-phase (three conductors) power system that produces 24 volts of direct current.

"Our innovative system makes it possible to light the entire Walkway with as little energy as it takes to operate an average home clothes dryer," said Andy Neal, founder and CEO of LITgreen. Neal has consulted for some of the world's leading lighting manufacturers.  He worked on the development of the first successful LED solid-state with Dr. Ramesh Bhargava, founder of Nanocrystal Technologies, LP in Westchester County, NY.

For more information please go to www.andyneallighting.com

SOURCE LITgreen