ROCHESTER, N.Y. — If you’re flying out of Rochester for the holidays, you might notice the brightly lit tunnel on East Airport Road near Scottsville Road. Why does the tunnel have so many lights?

One viewer asked: “I have noticed the tunnel that is on the Monroe County airport property has more lights in it that run 24/7 than many other longer tunnels on New York State highways. It is such a short tunnel and has so many lights! Why?”

Andy Moore, director of the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, explains that the abundance of lights is primarily for safety.

“There’s two-way traffic going through that tunnel. A lot of tunnels don’t have two-way traffic right next to each other. So it’s really about safety as far as the lighting conditions go,” he said.

The lights in the tunnel are equipped with sensors that adjust their brightness according to the time of day.

“The lighting levels may be a little bit higher than what people think they should be. But, ultimately, safety is the top priority and it does meet codes and standards throughout the industry,” Moore said.

There are two tunnels near the airport. The one accessible to the public connects the airport to Scottsville Road. The other tunnel, closed to the public, is used by airfield operations to navigate the airport property without crossing any runways.

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