Lighting up the Coronado Bridge with a Green Touch
For 41 years, the San Diego-Coronado Bridge has been an architectural icon in the region. Now, a plan is underway to make it into a model of energy efficiency as well.
The port, in partnership with Caltrans, is working on a project to light up the 2.12-mile span with a green touch. If these agencies can pull off the project, the bridge could become a bold and enduring statement to the world that San Diego is at the forefront of the green movement.
Three finalists, chosen from a field of 87, have submitted proposals that call for the use of solar and wind power to illuminate the structure.
The port is scheduled to hold a public meeting Tuesday, July 6, 2010, to present the lighting concepts. The workshop will be 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the former Housing Commission building, 1625 Newton Ave., Suite C., San Diego. Those who can't make it to the meeting can view videos of the lighting concepts on the port's Web site and provide feedback.
The Bideau Company from France, renowned for lighting up the Eiffel Tower and the Acropolis, has proposed animating the bridge with a zigzag pattern inspired by the artwork of the Kumeyaay Indians of this region.
LED spotlights, which last 75,000 hours and require maintenance only once a year, would be mounted on the bottom of the lateral beams of the bridge every 45 feet. The 70-kilowatt system is expected to be powered entirely by wind and solar sources. The lights would be able to produce an unlimited range of colors.
The Peter Fink team of London envisions energy-neutral illumination of the bridge pillars and outer deck using wind turbines. Sophisticated computer programs would be installed to change the colors and the intensity of the lights depending on the holidays, seasons or even car movements.
Under a plan by Ned Kahn/Patrick McInerney Associates/ARUP of California, “wind helixes” that resemble sculptures would be mounted within the legs of the bridge to produce power to light up the structure.
The intensity of the lights across the span would vary depending on the wind velocity in any given area and time, “therefore, the bridge becomes a register of what’s going on in nature, and our connection with what’s going on in nature becomes that much more immediate and profound,” McInerney said in a video presentation.
The lighting project is expected to cost $4 million to $5 million. Money is expected to be raised through private sources and grants. A construction timeline is not yet available.