When maintenance is needed, some system components, such as signal heads, require a disruption of traffic flow because of their location and function. Other components, such as lighting luminaires, can be located on the edge, or in a median, of a travelled way. This means that while the system components are over the shoulder of a roadway, lane closures are almost always necessary to protect oncoming traffic from outriggers and the articulated boom movement of the bucket trucks commonly used for servicing. As well, an additional heavy truck with flashing signs frequently is placed upstream from a maintenance location to protect workers from serious injury if motorists do not recognize a temporary lane closure.
Traffic control is time consuming, disruptive to traffic flow and hence, costly.
A product which has been used for many years in industrial wiring systems has been redesigned recently for use in the transportation field. Luminaires for low-mast operations have adjustable reflectors so that the 'throw' of the light can be adjusted to different lighting patterns for any lighting situation. The Contact Suspension System allows a fixture to be lowered without moving electrical cables over pulleys. This is the key to this innovative technology. There is no need to house lifting and lowering equipment internally, hence, poles for this new system are smaller in diameter and are more economical.