McCain’s snow scoop device clears traffic signals in Colorado

LED traffic lights covered in snow have been blamed for a number of accidents in the US recently. Because LEDs don’t generate heat like incandescent bulbs, if the signals do get obscured by snow, it takes far longer for them to clear and become properly visible again. To tackle this issue, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has announced that it is expanding its use McCain Inc's low-cost Scoop Tunnel Visor device. The round visor has alovered vent (scoop) and an open bottom that funnels airflow across the signal lens, preventing snow from collecting. The devices are mostly installed on north-facing signals that are often blotted out by blizzards blowing 'horizontal snow' from that direction, and that would previously have had to be cleared by hand bt CDOT staff.

CDOT began installing the devices around Colorado two years ago, primarily in Parker, Aurora and Summit County. "To date, we have 100 visors installed on 30 signals throughout Colorado,” said Jim Chase, CDOT's traffic signal supervisor. ”We have been successfully using this product for years and plan to increase the number of signals using the Scoop Tunnel Visor in the next month.” CDOT will be installing more of the devices on signals in the mountain town of Frisco. There are also plans to install them on signals along Wadsworth Boulevard between I-70 and Broomfield and on Federal Boulevard.

“As more cities came online with LED traffic signal lights, we saw the need to develop a product to assist our customers during the winter months due to snow build-up on traffic signals,” said Kleinjan Deetlefs, director of engineering for McCain Inc. “In doing so, we found a solution that was cost-effective, energy-efficient and has been successfully tested and deployed for several years now.”
 

29 December 2009