20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland 1010
Private Bag 92250, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Phone 09 355 3553
Website www.AT.govt.nz
7 June 2022
Kia ora Hemant,
Your request for information under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
(LGOIMA) – CAS-553463-W5G0R1
I refer to your official information request dated 9 May 2022 regarding Te Horeta tunnel lights.
Rules in Place to control the lighting in Te Horeta Road tunnel
The rules in place are that the Joint Traffic Operations Centre (JTOC) needs to be notified whenever any
work is planned which might influence the normal operation of the lighting control system and traffic flow.
The lighting controls are presently not fully operational because we are undertaking maintenance work
which has not yet been completed. Such should all be fully functional by the end of June 2022.
With respect to the documentation on the safety of driving through the tunnel after the lighting control
system is operational, to our knowledge we have no documentation, reports or emails associated to this
matter. The lighting in the tunnel has experienced operational problems which has affected the automatic
controls for adaptive lighting levels. This was caused by heat build up in the service cavity above the
tunnel. This has not compromised drivers safety in the tunnel as the lights have been switched manually to
100% at the times the controls were not operational.
The tunnel lighting was designed & installed to be controlled via light sensors mounted on either side of the
tunnel, at each entrance. The light sensors control light output by switching in banks of luminaires to
provide lighting level settings of 50%; 75%; and 100%.
Currently all the lights (100%) are controlled manually as the electrical supply circuits are in the process of
being upgraded/replaced at the east end of the tunnel. The automatic control system cannot currently be
used until all the lighting circuits have been rewired.
In terms of the replacements, we have replaced approximately 20-30 light bulbs over the last 12 months.
Please refer to the below breakdown for the cost of the lightbulbs.
• T1 - $180.83 (HPS T/T 400W)
• T2 - $169.72 (HPS T/T 250W)
• T3 - $164.92 (HPS T/T 150W)
• T4 - $ 49.28 (HPS 100 W)
You will note from the above answers that work is continuing to maintain the current lighting system.
If you wish to communicate further on this matter with the lighting team please respond to the central area
manager Ralph Dingle at
[email address]
Ngā mihi,
Alan Wallace
Group Manager, Road Asset Maintenance and Renewals
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