To my astonishment, something street-lighting related is happening in Essex!
Some of you may be able to cast your mind back to this photo from 2008, which was originally posted on UKASTLE II. It shows one end of the short section of A120 dual carriageway that links both sides of the A12 together at Junction 25. It is arguably famous in street lighting circles as the dual carriageway, the roundabouts at each end, one of the slip roads onto the A12 and the road running parallel to the dual carriageway still have ten Alpha Sixes lighting them (three on the dual carriageway, one on each roundabout, three on the London-bound slip road onto the A12 and two on the parallel road). That figure excludes those that have snapped at the spine.
One end of the short section of A120 dual carriageway that links both sides of the A12 together at Junction 25. Photograph taken in 2008. The first lantern on the left (which has turned on its spigot) is an Alpha Six, the lantern on the right at the back of the picture (on the parallel road) is also an Alpha Six and the two brackets with missing lanterns are Alpha Sixes with snapped spines.
The same scene yesterday (22nd March 2012). I thought it would never happen, but the Highways Agency are replacing the sleeved concrete columns, which seem to have stood there for an eternity. Even the double bracket that was missing its Alpha Six for at least four years (it previously lit the A12 northbound on-slip) is now back in light.
A quick look at the other end of the short section of dual carriageway reveals that the previous eclectic mix of Alpha Fours, Alpha Sixes, GEC Z9554s, GR150s and remote-geared MA50s on sleeved concrete columns have now been swept away and replaced with new Philips SRS201s on gleaming new Stainton columns. By coincidence, I think the old columns are Stanton & Staveleys (I'll assume Stainton isn't a mis-spelling of Stanton, and the two companies are seperate entities).
It looks like the Highways Agency have once again missed an opportunity to trial the latest new technology that the street lighting industry could offer Essex in 2012, e.g. High Pressure Sodium, as well as the chance to install some new, up-to-date lanterns like the Philips SGS203
But I am possibly being unfair, as the recently-installed pedestrian crossing point across the dual carriageway is lit by SON lanterns, in line with the possibly threatened Essex policy of sticking to SOX, and using SON to boost light levels only where light levels need to be boosted.
The same scene depicted in the first two images, but photographed from the other side of the bridge over the A12 and showing the on-slip which was missing its Alpha Six for four years.
Although I can never remember the columns in this location being unsleeved (i.e. they've probably been sleeved since the late 1970s), a quick peek in the bushes between the two forked roads reveal this broken concrete double bracket.
These six columns, which are on the bridge over the A12, may take a little longer to replace as they are affixed to the bridge with steel flange plates. Their replacement is likely to involve a night closure (or several) of the A12 underneath.
Thankfully one of the columns (the furthest column on the right hand side) has an Alpha Six on it, so if the Alpha Sixes on the roundabouts and the Alpha Sixes on the southbound on-slip follow their dual carriageway counterparts into the history books, at least one may survive!
The A12 southbound on-slip has three Alpha Sixes. Two of them are the first and fourth lanterns in this photo from 2008.
How the slip road looks in 2012...for the time being at least. One GR150 on a sleeved concrete column has given way to an SGS203 on an octagonal column. It didn't take long for the road's centre line to wear out!
Although the Highways Agency work will see the total loss of eight Alpha Sixes, there is at least one Alpha Six on a road that will escape the cull. The road in question is the parallel road to the A120 dual carriageway, which is unclassified...
Here's how the Alpha Six on column two looked in 2008
Fast forward to yesterday and it's still hanging on, albeit having gathered a little more moss in the last four years! The tree is a little taller and the telegraph pole has lost its weather coating.
And it's even been recently re-lamped, judging by the grubby fingerprints on the bowl!
The current state of the works is: The A120 dual carriageway is now fully re-lit with SRS201s on new columns (unless any concrete columns had been removed in previous years), but that's with the exception of the bridge columns on the steel flange plates which will be more difficult to replace. Both roundabouts have been partially re-lit with SRS201s on new columns, and having seen what's happened to the dual carriageway I'm sure any remaining concrete columns on the roundabouts (including the two with Alpha Sixes on them) will go also, along with any remaining concrete columns on the slip roads on and off the A12 (including the three with Alpha Sixes on them).
Once the Highways Agency have finished their works, there will be one Alpha Six near the A12 Junction 25 (the one pictured above, the other one on the non-Highways Agency road snapped in November 2009 -
see post #1), two Alpha Sixes on or near Junction 26 of the A12 (one on the slip road, one on the short section of dual carriageway to the north of that Junction, and three Alpha Sixes on or near the roundabout at the end of the short spur road at Junction 27. That will be just six Alpha Sixes left in Colchester.
The Alpha Six on the A12 slip road at Junction 26 will be the very last Alpha Six belonging to the Highways Agency!