Cleveland, City of Bridges,

Basks in a New Light

"There are the greatest lot of bridges here you ever saw," a visitor to Cleveland scrawled on a postcard in 1905. The city's bridges still impress. (Those who attended the 1986 SIA annual conference will recall seeing no fewer than 22 of them during a boat cruise up the Cuyahoga River.) But now, thanks to a project designed to commemorate Cleveland's two-hundredth birthday, they have taken on a new, magical glow. The "City of Bridges" project has resulted in the permanent lighting of eight bridges in the city's Flats district, the broad floodplain of the Cuyahoga that separates the high plateaus of the city's east and west sides.

Conceived as a "legacy gift" to the people of Cleveland in honor of the city's bicentennial, celebrated in 1996, the award-winning lighting project was a complex undertaking that required the cooperation of Conrail, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and private businesses. The Cleveland Bicentennial Commission administered the project, which was designed by Ross De Alessi of Ross De Alessi Lighting Design of Seattle, Washington. Cleveland Public Power, a municipally owned electric utility, provided overall project management, while General Electric donated most of the 1,500 bulbs. More than two dozen different types, the majority mercury- and sodium-vapor, are employed, according to Cleveland Public Power engineer Ray O'Neill. Sunday through Thursday, the bridges are lighted from dusk to midnight; on weekends, the lights stay on until 2:00 A.M.

North to south, the eight bridges and their lighting designs are as follows:

Conrail No. 1 Bridge (1947) ­ This busy vertical-lift bridge near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River is bathed in a soft golden light.

Main Avenue High-Level Bridge (1939) ­ The blue cantilever-truss spans of this 8,000-foot-long bridge, which carries vehicular traffic over industries, railroads, streets, and river, are illuminated by a series of simple up-lighted cascades.

Willow Avenue Bridge (1964) ­ A multihued rainbow effect is projected onto the motor houses of this vertical-lift bridge, while the remainder of the span is bathed in gray light.

ABOVE: The Willow Avenue Bridge features a multihued rainbow effect on its motor houses. Photo by Donn Nottage, City of Cleveland Photo.

B&O Railroad Bridge #464 (1907) ­ The lighting design for this bascule bridge, now inoperative and permanently in its raised position, is intended to re-create the effect of a forge. During a 15-minute event that takes place every half-hour, the bridge is bathed in light that changes from white to amber to red, the transformation moving gradually from base to tip of the 230-foot-long span.

B&O Railroad Bridge #463 (1956) ­ The lighting design for this bascule bridge, also inoperative and permanently in its raised position, honors the steam locomotive by suggesting the passage of a "ghost" train. The bridge is foot-lighted with magenta and blue. On the half-hour, what appears to be an approaching train emerges from the earth, white light growing from inside the amber-lighted counterweight until the inside of the magenta and blue roadway glows white. When the ghost train reaches the end of the trestle, a searchlight punctuates the sky. (The special effect required FAA approval.)

ABOVE: B&O Railroad Bridge #463, in its permanently raised position, punctuates the night sky. The lighting design simulates the approach of a "ghost train" every 30 minutes. In the background are the steel arch of the Detroit-Superior High-Level Bridge and the Center Street swing-span bridge. Photo by Donn Nottage, City of Cleveland Photo.

Center Street Bridge (1901) ­ The city's last remaining swing bridge glows red.

ABOVE: The Center Street Bridge reflects its new red glow in the Cuyahoga River. Photo by Donn Nottage, City of Cleveland Photo.

The permanent lights were turned on for the first time in July 1996, although illumination of the Detroit-Superior span was delayed while the bridge was closed for a $49-million renovation. Those lights were finally turned on early this year, completing the lighting project. In 1997, the colorful tribute to Cleveland's industrial and engineering heritage received an Award of Excellence from the International Association of Lighting Designers.

C. P. M.