Highly demanding construction

Thorn has provided much of the lighting for the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge – the world’s longest sea bridge – due to open soon.

Thorn secured two of the three lighting contracts associated with the 115.9 billion yuan (€14.7 billion) project. The products illuminate the two artificial islands at the east and west of the crossing, and the tunnel that leads to the bridge from Hong Kong.

The bridge is now nearing completion and set to start carrying traffic soon, after nine years of construction work. It spans China’s Pearl River Delta, connecting the islands of Hong Kong and Macau with the city of Zhuhai on the mainland. It is a highly demanding construction environment, with frequent typhoons, airport height restrictions, high environmental standards and shipping to contend with.

The company provided 120 high-power floodlights, mounted on 12 high masts.

The fittings were chosen for their high efficacy of 115lm/W, long lifetime of 70,000 hours

(L80), IP66 rating for ingress protection, and success in passing a 1000-hour salt-spray test, showing their ability to withstand the tough environment. The fittings use 600W of power, compared to 1000W for conventional alternatives.