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ST9902-CS050809 (8/14/2007) Ken Griffin - Fwd: FW: ILSN Info for Sandy Lake Road Pa From: To: Date: Subject: Suzan Taylor Keith Marvin; Ken Griffin 8/9/2005 12:57 PM Fwd: FW: ILSN Info for Sandy Lake Road This is the information on the illuminated lights for Sandy Lake Road. >>> "Matt Atkins" <matkins@tnp-online.com> 08/09/05 11:49 AM >>> -----Original Message----- From: John Denholm III rmailto:idenholm@lee-enQ.coml Sent: Thursday, August 04/ 2005 6:53 PM To: Matt Atkins Subject: ILSN Info for Sandy Lake Road Matt, Hopefully this information will prove useful for your meeting. When a decision is made we can provide a detailed specification for inclusion with the plan sets. ILSN Stands for Internally Illuminated Street Name Signs. The ILSN can be illuminated through the use of two types of light sources, or light engines as they are frequently called by the manufacturers, fluorescent and LED. LED is the newer technology and one benefit of the LED based products is that they can have thinner and lighter (weight-wise) housings than the fluorescent products. There are two methods of using LED light sources, one is to essentially replace the fluorescent lamps with LEDs as a retrofit or an entirely new sign, and the other is known as 'edge-lit' and is when the LEDs are around the edges of the signs. TxDOT Currently has a Fluorescent ILSN specification. They do not have an LED specification that I am aware of yet. LED is the way the industry is moving and results in at least a 500/0 power savings with some manufacturers claiming 900/0 and less maintenance. TxDOT has a materials testing specification for the sign panel face as well. Other than that there are City specific specifications that we have used for different occasions. Manufacturers of ILSNs Include: Leotek Sonlight Southern Manufacturing National Sign And Signal Carmanah N uArt The above list should not be considered all-inclusive by any means but are just names we have run across during our signal design work. ILSNs will typically run $1/500 to $3/000 per sign. For a project where 24 signs were being purchased, the unit cost paid by the city was roughly $1/150 per sign. On a recent project at a single signal with 3 ILSNs, the unit costs bid by the signal contractors were $2/000/ $2/575 and $2/800 per sign. Lessons we have learned: The specification needs to have a detailed and very well defined acceptance test procedure for the sign. Manufacturer must provide a sample sign to be installed on a mast arm to be evaluated by the City Staff under ALL lighting conditions, dawn, dusk, day, night, etc. City must have a method of rejecting a sign that does not meet their expectations (even subjective ones) before the contractor has purchased all XX signs from the manufacturer. That way, if a change of manufacturer is necessary it is not a long protracted fight over who pays. Some of the newer products, especially edge-lit ones, have had a tendency to have a clear lexan/plastic covering over the sign face that introduces significant glare into the equation. This should be avoided and a specification tailored to avoid this. Conformance with TxDOT's sign panel face material specification may eliminate this, but I'd have to do some double checking before stating that definitively. Sonlight Edge-Lit Signs we have seen are not as good as what most people expect out of an ILSN. A client that ended up with Sonlight signs was displeased with the ultimate quality of the signs. The edge-lit method did not result in the entire sign face illuminating evenly as one typically sees on most ILSNs. This sign also had a clear coating that had glare issues. (8/14/2007) Ken Griffin - Fwd: FW: ILSN Info for Sandy Lake Road Pa Southern Manufacturing signs in Piano are the large housings, but both LED & Fluorescent in construction, and are installed at various locations throughout the City and staff is pleased with them. Piano's ILSN contract is (or was last time I talked with them) written in such a way that other Municipalities can piggyback on top of their contract to procure signs. NuArt fluorescent signs are also installed in Piano to their satisfaction. This was their previous contract. NuArt fluorescent signs are installed in Rowlett to the city's satisfaction. NuArt slim-line LED Edge-lit signs had a clear covering in Rowlett that led to concerns about glare during the day, but the signs were good at night. The ILSN most frequently seen in the metroplex has either a fluorescent or LED light engine that illuminates the entire face of the sign, which is a translucent plastic, and is housed in a large aluminum housing. The various slim-line and edge-lit products are just starting to appear in the field in the metroplex. From my perspective, if the City doesn't do a blanket order like Piano and does it intersection by intersection as they are built, the key is finding a high quality sign they Iike, and then tailoring the specification so that vendor meets it the best. An acceptance test procedure is an absolute must based on our recent experience. I hope this gets your meeting started, if you need additional information, please let me know. Thanks, John Denholm 111/ EIT Senior Engineering Designer Lee Engineering 972.248.3006 (P) 972.248.3855 (F) 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1660 Dallas, TX 75234 The Information contained in this message is intended to be legally privileged and confidential for the use of the named recipient. If the reader is not the named recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you are not the named recipient, please immediately notify the sender and destroy the message and all copies.