Source: Mental Health Australia
A major lighting upgrade in a busy tunnel at Leura is delivering safer trips every day for thousands of motorists on the Great Western Highway.
Work to improve lighting in the 125-metre tunnel beneath the Aunty Joan Cooper Bridge – the first complete overhaul of the tunnel’s lighting in 20 years – started in December 2024 and has now been completed.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the project’s first step was installing a large electrical cabinet beside a footpath on the eastern side of Leura Mall, followed by work to update cabling and installing a backup electricity supply to ensure the lights stayed on during power outages.
“Safety is always the number one priority on our roads and this work to improve lighting in the Aunty Joan Cooper Bridge tunnel means motorists can better see road signs, line marking and other vehicles as they drive through,” the spokesperson said.
“The new lights are much brighter, longer lasting and more energy efficient.”
Over the past eight months, crews working on the lighting upgrade have replaced about 480 high-pressure sodium (HPS) light units with 580 new generation light-emitting diode (LED) units, turning dim into dazzling inside the tunnel.
Work included installing photometers that automatically adjust the tunnel lighting depending on the time of day and overhead conditions, and taking about 25 tonnes of old cable trays, obsolete cabling and other waste to a licensed waste facility.
About 10 kilometres of new power and communications cable was installed as part of the project.
“This wasn’t an easy job with crews tackling tight workspaces inside the tunnel as they operated three elevated work platforms and up to five scissor-lift trucks and other vehicles in a confined space, with most of the work completed at night to minimise impacts to highway traffic,” the spokesperson said.
“This lighting upgrade was a big job that required regular tunnel closures and traffic diversions, and we thank motorists and local residents for their patience throughout the work.”