Recently opened span’s brilliant illumination to be visible for miles
Colorful, bright lights will bathe the new bridge at the Port of Long Beach beginning Monday night, December 14th.
COVID-19 restrictions will prevent any on-site celebration or event to mark the first night of lights. Residents who wish to view the lights being turned on – or any time after Monday – are encouraged to watch online either via the three webcams pointed at the bridge or on LBTV. The live webcams are available on the newgdbridge.com website or LBBridge app. The LBTV channels for the greater Long Beach area are Charter Spectrum Channel 3, Frontier Fios Channel 21, AT&T Uverse Channel 99 and lbtv3.com. The lights will remain on every night for the foreseeable future. Starting at 5:30 p.m., the airing will include videotaped welcoming comments by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna and Port Executive Director Mario Cordero.
Nearly 200 energy-saving LED lights will illuminate the 80 cables and two 515-foot towers with nearly 30 color combinations throughout the year. The lights will be pre-programmed to mark holidays, such as Independence Day and Christmas, and special occasions, such as the Olympics and Pride Month.
For the first night, the lights will be programmed to reflect 15 different scenes; a fact sheet that lists the order of scenes will be available at www.newgdbridge.com. Residents will get this special, multi-color transition light show for just one night. Residents are encouraged to start watching no later than 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 14. The lights are scheduled to turn on at approximately 5:40 p.m.
The new bridge, which opened to traffic on October 5, replaces the shorter, narrower Gerald Desmond Bridge.
The new bridge provides a higher passage for cargo ships, extra traffic lanes for trucks and cars, emergency lanes, greater resiliency in an earthquake, and a 100-year minimum lifespan. With the twin 50-story-high towers connecting 80 cables to the center span, the new bridge is one of the tallest cable-stayed bridges in the United States and the first of its kind in California.
The new bridge is a joint effort of Caltrans and the Port of Long Beach, with additional funding support from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
Video and photos of the bridge construction progress can be found at the bridge website, www.newgdbridge.com.
