Lakefront Lighting Replacement

Kenosha, WI

The City of Kenosha retained Clark Dietz for the investigation of the current condition and integrity of their promenade lighting along Kenosha’s lakefront in Harbor Park and to provide Electrical Lighting Design Services. Clark Dietz was tasked to identify the most economical strategy to upgrade this lighting system along the lakefront pathway. The existing lighting limits are from 50th Street and 6th Avenue to 61st Street and 3rd Avenue and consisted of 130 poles along this route. The initial objective was to reuse the existing poles, bases & wiring and to just investigate refurbishing and re-lamping of the poles using current technology.

Lighting Condition Analysis

Clark Dietz provided a visual assessment of the existing pathway lighting conditions including lighting foundations, light poles and luminaires. Additionally, we interviewed City electrical staff to determine what issues they were aware of when repairs were made. With the help of City staff, we assessed the existing wiring and grounding connections, we traced out the electrical circuitry to each pole to determine which lighting cabinet the lights belonged to, and finally measured the loads that were present on each circuit as well as the overall loads on each cabinet. Based on our investigation, we were able to determine if foundations, light poles, and existing wiring could simply be reused. If possible, existing poles in good condition could be refurbished. Clark Dietz coordinated with blast shops on costs and timeline for refinishing and painting. If any poles were in need of replacement due to condition, new poles were required to match the existing style.

After the preliminary investigations and assessments, we determined that the existing infrastructure was in poor condition. The following was concluded:

  • Concrete bases severely deteriorated with corroded reinforcing bars;
  • Circuit wiring was direct buried and had many splices;
  • Existing steel poles were corroded at the base and luminaire arms;
  • Many decorative base plates were either missing or broken, and
  • Voltage drop requirements were not met using existing wiring

This assessment concluded that reusing and/or refurbishing of the existing lighting system was not economical and a new lighting system should be pursued.

Lighting Design

After careful assessment and determining a replacement fixture, Clark Dietz provided lighting design using AGi-32 to coincide with the existing pole base locations to determine what the most optimized photometrics could be for the existing light pole spacing. We analyzed and compared the proper illumination in accordance with IES Standards for urban roadways. The lighting design included:

  • Contacting Diggers Hotline for underground survey locates.
  • Analyzing existing photometrics using light meters in order to provide comparisons with the new fixtures.
  • Providing plan sheets using mostly Aerial photography with supplemental survey.
  • We designed the proposed lighting using similar fixtures that were currently in place.
  • Showing lighting items and limits.
  • Showing all connections for power either to an existing cabinet or a proposed cabinet (coordination with city of Kenosha).
  • Providing detail sheets
  • Surveying utilities and lakefront pathway.
  • Providing voltage drop calculations using existing wire for entire limits of pole replacements or for new wire.
  • Providing a staging plan to keep the pathway lit during construction. We coordinated work with the City on the viable options.
  • Providing specifications for Bidding
  • Providing bid tab of all lighting quantities
See the difference! Use the sliders below to navigate between day and night.
Original Kenosha lakefront lighting during the dayOriginal Kenosha lakefront lighting at night
New Kenosha lakefront lighting during the dayNew Kenosha lakefront lighting at night