AASHTO GL

Description / Abstract: OVERVIEW

This is the seventh edition of the AASHTO Roadway Lighting Design Guide, with the sixth edition having been published in October 2005. This seventh edition has been revised to reflect current practices in roadway lighting and ultimately replaces the 1984 publication entitled An Informational Guide for Roadway Lighting. This guide provides a general overview of lighting systems from the point-of-view of state transportation departments and recommends minimum design parameters.

This guide may be used by agencies to warrant and design roadway lighting systems within their jurisdiction. Additionally, agencies can incorporate this information into their own roadway lighting policies. Agency-specific policy may also include types of lighting equipment and technologies, lighting calculation preferences, or maintenance issues.

Significant changes in the seventh edition of this guide include the following:

• additional information on roadway lighting safety research,

• commentary on emerging technologies,

• Revised goals of master lighting plans,

• additional information on coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration,

• additional information about pedestrians at intersections,

• new criteria and methods for determining the need for overhead sign lighting, and

• new information on sky glow and light trespass.

Please note, however, that one of the key components of the sixth edition of the AASHTO Roadway Lighting Design Guide, i.e., the Illuminance and Luminance Design Value tables in Chapter 3, has not changed significantly. No reduced lighting levels are recommended regardless of the color temperature of the luminaire.

Beyond the information included in the seventh edition of this guide, various guidelines of national and international lighting engineering and architectural groups may be consulted for reasonable limits and strategies to optimize lighting designs while limiting any negative effects. Table 1-1 lists some of these groups.