Lumeitalia

2026 technical update: what changes in motorway and major-artery lighting projects

Centro Studi note on recurring requests and points of attention in motorway and major-artery lighting projects in 2026.

Studio illuminotecnico con planimetria, ottiche e simulazione della luce
Studio illuminotecnico con planimetria, ottiche e simulazione della luce. Immagine illustrativa generata con AI.

Overview

This note collects the operational updates that the Lumeitalia technical office flags to designers in 2026 for motorway and major-artery lighting interventions. On motorways and main extra-urban roads, lighting is concentrated on interchanges, service areas and high-risk sections, where visual continuity is a safety requirement.

Applicable standards

The regulatory reference for motorway and major-artery lighting is not a single document but a coordinated set of standards covering performance, safety and environmental impact. In design practice the following documents drive the main choices.

  • EN 13201-2 — M classes for fast motorised traffic.
  • CIE 140 — road lighting calculation methods.
  • UNI 11248 — class selection and adaptive downgrading.

What is changing in project requests

The most frequent request is no longer only energy saving but demonstrability of the result: a documented baseline, an agreed verification protocol and exportable operating data have become recurring items in specifications. This change rewards projects built on written requirements and penalises supplies described by brand.

Points of attention

In motorway and major-artery lighting projects the three points on which the technical office intervenes most often remain the maintenance factor, consistency between photometric file and supplied luminaire, and the definition of control system behaviour under degraded conditions. They are also the three points generating most non-conformities at commissioning.

Available resources

Centro Studi Lumeitalia publishes operational guides, methodological comparisons and updated technical deep dives; the technical office is available to review requirements, specifications and verification protocols. Requests can be addressed to the contacts published in the site's contact section.

Recurring critical points

The difficulties that most often emerge in motorway and major-artery lighting projects are not about product selection, but about defining requirements and verifying results.

  • Avoiding abrupt transition zones between lit and unlit sections.
  • Keeping maintenance feasible with minimal lane closures.
  • Withstanding vibration, de-icing salt and wind loads on high masts.

Design approach

An orderly method drastically reduces variations during works and disputes at commissioning. Three choices make the difference from the earliest stages.

  • Transition zones designed with a controlled luminance gradient.
  • Luminaires with fast access to the gear tray and replaceable components.
  • Remote management for diagnostics and fewer field interventions.

Parameters to verify

  • M class — EN 13201-2 — assigned by design speed and complexity
  • Surround ratio SR — EN 13201-2 — lighting of the lateral strips
  • Maintainability — specification — access without removing the optic
  • Mechanical resistance — EN 60598 — vibration and pole loads

Most frequent mistakes

Non-conformities found at commissioning almost always come from three causes: requirements not declared or declared without a reference standard, calculation run on idealised geometry, and an optimistic maintenance factor. All three can be avoided at zero cost during design.

  • Documented baseline required in the specification
  • Verification protocol agreed before execution
  • Operating data portability required by contract
  • Maintenance factor justified in the report
  • Consistency between photometric file and supplied luminaire

Key takeaways

A motorway and major-artery lighting project holds up over time when requirements are declared, the calculation reproduces real conditions and on-site verification follows an agreed protocol. Component selection matters, but comes later: without measurable requirements even the best product delivers a result that cannot be demonstrated. Centro Studi Lumeitalia makes its technical office available to review requirements and design checks.

Methodological note: This content is written for technical information purposes by Centro Studi Lumeitalia and does not replace the lighting design or a full reading of the standards cited. Applicable performance values are those of the standards in force at design time.

Domande frequenti

Why are motorways not lit end to end?+

Because continuous lighting is not always the most effective safety measure: standards and design practice concentrate it on interchanges, conflict areas, tunnels and sections with documented accident rates.

How is the transition between lit and dark sections handled?+

With a transition zone of decreasing luminance, allowing the driver's visual adaptation and avoiding the black-hole effect.

Where should a motorway and major-artery lighting project start?+

From a written definition of performance requirements and verification conditions: this step drives every later choice and makes the result either disputable or defensible at commissioning.

Which documents should be requested from the supplier?+

Photometric files of the proposed luminaires, declaration of conformity, lifetime data declared per IES LM-80 with its conditions, the maintenance schedule and warranty terms.