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Pittsburgh's dazzling bridge of many colors is about to go dark | TribLIVE.com
Allegheny

Pittsburgh's dazzling bridge of many colors is about to go dark

Tribune-Review
ptrrachelcarson
Larry Rippel
The Rachel Carson Bridge has been equipped with the 'Energy Flow' light installation. It's going to be removed soon as the bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, undergoes repairs.
ptrrachelcarson2
Larry Rippel
“Energy Flow” light installation on the Rachel Carson Bridge in Pittsburgh. It's going to be removed soon as the bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, undergoes repairs.

A wind-powered LED lighting display on the Rachel Carson Bridge will go dark at the end of an 18-month run on April 8, officials announced Thursday.

Workers will begin removing the lights and wind turbines the next day. Eighteen months of rehab work on the bridge — also known as the Ninth Street Bridge — is set to begin this summer.

The rainbow light display was a collaboration that involved Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Covestro, Duquesne Light, WindStax and the nonprofits Riverlife and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, among others.

"While we're sad to see it end, we're excited for the future of the Rachel Carson Bridge and the future, recycled use of the installation in our community," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said in a statement.

Known as "Energy Flow," the installation was chosen by the Pittsburgh Bicentennial Steering Commission to celebrate the city's bicentennial in 2016.

It combined 27,000 LEDs and 16 wind turbines installed on the bridge. Wind speed data determined the colors and patterns of the lights.

The installation powered on during Light UP Night festivities on Nov. 18, 2016. It was originally going to be on display for four months, but it was so popular that organizers extended its run.

Some of the LED lights will be incorporated into a Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership lighting project that will brighten Garrison Place, a Downtown Pittsburgh alleyway between Exchange Way and Liberty Avenue. The installation will be known as Garrison Canal.

WindStax will reuse the turbines for other projects.

"The project is the perfect marriage of art and science and a fitting tribute to the legacy of innovation in Pittsburgh, which made it a right fit for the Pittsburgh Bicentennial," said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.