If you make the trip out to Tampa’s Amalie Arena for a hockey game this year, you’ll notice the crazy-bright new lighting. While LED lights have been used in residential lighting for years (in 2017, 56% of homeowners reported using them), sports arenas are just starting to get affordable, ultra-bright LED lighting systems. The long-winded name of Ephesus Lumadapt Sports System is what Amalie’s particular lighting setup is called, the first of its kind used in an NHL stadium so far.
The $600,000 system was finished just in time for the Tampa Bay Lightning to open the 2018-2019 hockey season, which started on October 3. TBL had their first game at home on October 6 against the Florida Panthers, with TBL winning 2-1.
Fair warning if you’re aiming to catch a game in Tampa, the construction around the city is absolutely nuts. Right now, the U.S. is second in the world when it comes to construction. Our market share of around 10% is steadily growing. If that growth definitively shows up anywhere, it shows up in Tampa.
Tampa residents have become so frustrated with seeing constant ongoing construction projects that local reporters actually consulted local transportation department employees about why Tampa is always under construction. Basically, what’s taking so long? The explanation is that planning, approving, developing, designing, and actually building are all long, complicated phases. That doesn’t make construction traffic any less bitter.
The construction isn’t without its dangers, either. As always, motorists are warned to be extra cautious when driving in a construction zone. Still, accidents happen. In one tragic incident in early September, a 68-year-old construction worker died after being crushed by a road roller that toppled off an unsteady embankment. His fellow workers used equipment to lift the roller from him, but unfortunately, the man passed away 20 minutes later. Apologies for the bleak story, but it’s a fair warning — always be careful around construction zones!
On top of roadway construction, Tampa is one of the top cities in the state in terms of new housing construction at the moment. Between condos popping up and the two-billion-dollar airport upgrade, things are a bit noisy in the city. Back in July, the city hit an unprecedented high of $779 million in construction starts.
Pros? Plenty of hotel rooms to stay in after you catch a Lightning game. Cons? It might take you forever to actually reach the Lightning game.
