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Sat. May 5, 2007, 08:17am PDT
New Narrows bridge going dark
There's a great image (at right) on the front page of the News Tribune showing only one strand of lights remaining on the new Narrows bridge. The other is soon to go dark and I hope that'll change soon. Kathleen Merryman wrote an article today about the lights coming down and a group (of which I'm a member) called NarrowsBridgeLight.org who want new lights to go up and already have $1.5 million from the state to do so. Our hope is to light both bridge with energy efficient, low-maintenance, long-life LEDs that will also allow festive color changes at the push of a button and be a source of pride for our entire region.
5/5 - It's lights out on the new Narrows bridge -- for now, TNT
4/23 - Narrows Bridge light in the budget, KFnet
If you haven't seen the new bridge lit up, take a drive by there before the rest of the lights go down. Then head over to NarrowsBridgeLights.org to find out how you can get involved. Let's create a new image to go along with our new bridge. Which would you rather people think when they hear "Tacoma Narrows bridge": a hunk of junk that fell into the water or grand arches of colorful light as a gateway to this region?
Comments (6) | To Top
5/5/2007 @ 10:59am
I had thought it was a done deal with the state funding.
How much more money needs to be raised? What needs to happen next to make sure the new bridge is lit up?
by Erik
5/5/2007 @ 11:51am
Governor still has to sign the budget then the $1.5 million will be a done deal. As the article says, that's about 1/3 what is need to create infrastructure and put up lights on both bridges.
by KevinFreitas
5/6/2007 @ 10:47am
So the question is whether 3 million is worth the return. I think the sight of the lit bridges could be an iconic symbol for the South Sound and Tacoma. I can imagine it on post cards and in articles written about the area. I also imagine, though I don't know for sure, that it could be visible from th Chambers Bay course. I don't have the marketing savvy to run the numbers and say whether 3 million is worth a 30 second Superbowl advertisement or a string of lights 24/7, but I hope that is the case.
by Droid16
5/6/2007 @ 4:58pm
Good points, Droid. As far as I know the folks to do with the Chambers course are pretty excited about a lit bridge.
You can also imagine even more local logos including the bridge which could certainly resolve to $$. That and how about a yearly celebration (similar to the 4th) that includes a light show sync'd with music?
by KevinFreitas
5/7/2007 @ 2:32am
It is good to see that you are trying to incorporate energy efficiency into the plan. But there will still be some energy used, won't there? Will there be an option to offset the energy that is used to make it carbon neutral?
by Toni
5/7/2007 @ 6:35am
Yup -- solar. We've worked with a local solar power guru to get solar power to feed back into the grid and offset the needs of the lights and even help pay for their maintenance over time. So far, the DOT is supportive of letting some of their land near the bridge be used for just such a purpose.
by KevinFreitas