As a result of some innovative lighting work, a rusted railroad bridge has become a stunningly eye-appealing destination.


The Big Four Bridge, built in 1895 and updated in 1929, is a former railroad truss bridge crossing the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Ky., with Jeffersonville, Ind. After being closed for a number of years, the bridge was reopened in early 2013 as a combination pedestrian-bicycle bridge—1,800 feet shore to shore, and about 2,500 feet from end to end, including ramps on both sides.


What is unique about the bridge isn’t that it is limited to pedestrians and bicyclists; it’s the lighting—some 1,500 light-emitting diode (LED) lights strategically strung across the bridge and programmed for multiple colors and patterns.


The lights were provided by Philips Lighting, designed and programmed by Vincent Lighting Systems, and installed by Advanced Electrical Systems Inc. (AES) of Louisville. The 1,472 flat LED lights were placed inside hollow beams, with fiberglass conduit that houses fiber cabling and runs from one end of the bridge to the other.


The lighting system also features intense spotlights and wide-beam floodlights attached to the steel structure, spaced atop and under the arches and along the deck.


The result is a computerized lighting system that illuminates the bridge span in patterns of multicolored dancing lights that are visible for miles up and down the river. A central controller with a network system connects to the fiber spanning the bridge. It can be controlled from any computer with the proper login credentials.


The computer program has a map of all 1,472 fixtures, so the person operating the system can select an infinite variety of color combinations. As a result, lights can be programmed to be varied for different occasions, such as green for St. Patrick’s Day; red and green for Christmas; red, white and blue for Independence Day; pink for breast cancer awareness month; and appropriate color patterns for college sporting events. Because the bridge is matte rusted steel, the lights do not reflect off the surface and cause glare.


The installation took about five months, and the system was activated in early 2015.


“The biggest challenges during installation were safety and logistics,” said James Strange III, vice president for AES-Louisville. “The bridge remained open during the installation, and, during the summer, there would be thousands of people crossing the bridge.”


As such, moving material to the middle of the bridge from the base on the Kentucky side was arduous, as was setting up and operating the lift that rose 100 feet in the air to get to the top of the bridge.


The efforts resulted in a bridge that is a functional, recreational structure for cyclists and pedestrians, and is also considered a destination venue.


“The mayor came out and turned the lights on during the grand opening,” Strange said. “There were about 200 spectators at the opening, and everyone was amazed at how awesome the project looked.”


AES estimates that the lights will last at least 10 years and will require almost no maintenance.