Editorial: Brightening bridges / Illuminating the city’s spans is not an extravagance

Tuesday, December 04, 2001
Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Shedding light — literally — on Pittsburgh’s bridges is not a new idea.

In 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the light bulb, Duquesne Light Co. illuminated bridges here. In 1990, the old Greater Pittsburgh Office of Promotion conducted a bridge lighting demonstration project on parts of the Fort Duquesne Bridge and of the Sixth Street Bridge, now known as the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Four years ago city Councilman Sala Udin called on local corporations to pay for lighting 12 city bridges.

Now, the idea has gotten a boost with the announcement that Duquesne Light will pay for the decorative lighting of the Clemente Bridge. Project sponsors, including the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, the Riverlife Task Force, Allegheny County and the city, hope Duquesne Light is only the first of many corporations or organizations that will help illuminate Downtown bridges.

The aim of the Clemente Bridge project is to make the bridge visible to pedestrians on the Allegheny River walks, as well as to motorists and pedestrians on the bridge itself. The cost of Duquesne Light’s part of the project is unknown pending completion of final details for the lighting, but estimates are that the design, installation and lighting of the bridge will cost between $300,000 and $500,000.

Allegheny County has 3,000 bridges, more than any other county in the nation, and the city itself has more bridges than most others in this country. Each has a story; each has interesting features and details that could be highlighted by illumination and be a source of pride for the region.

This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette