Bridge lighting project to begin in December

November 30, 2019 | 3:30 am

Updated November 27, 2019 | 9:28 pm

Photo by AP Imagery

The City of Owensboro said Wednesday that the bridge lighting project is officially in full swing again. After some technical setbacks halted the project for several months, Assistant City Manager Lelan Hancock said contractors should begin the bridge lighting project in December.

“It’s been a long road to get to this point — all of the little pieces you have to navigate through,” Hancock said.

After sorting through some of the technical issues and receiving a permit for the project from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, things are finally moving forward for Hancock and City officials. Money for the bridge lighting will come from Owensboro’s Community Vision Fund, and a portion of the reimbursement from the downtown TIF (tax increment funding) was earmarked for this particular project.

It will take six to seven months to complete the entire process, and Hancock hopes that Owensboro’s downtown bridge will be lit by July 2020.

The first phase of re-lighting the bridge will occur within the next month as contractors begin the process of removing the bridge’s previous lights. This “demolition phase” will also include the running of new conduits for the package of new lights coming in.

It could take 12-14 weeks for the City to receive the new lights, Hancock said, but contractors will be working constantly during that time to remove the old and make way for the new.

Hancock was also able to acquire longer working hours for the contractors removing and installing the lights. Instead of working from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day, workers will be allowed to work from 8 a.m. until it gets dark.

There will be some traffic delays on the bridge during this project’s entirety as one of the two lanes will be closed down for 400-500 feet.

“They won’t start until 8 a.m. so rush-hour traffic can [get through] during that time, but they will work until dark, so there will be traffic delays,” he said.

The City was able to secure some advanced lighting and programming for this project, Hancock added. The standard color of the lights will be a blue hue, but the lights have color-changing capabilities. City officials will be able to change the color scheme, or even change the lights from one color to the next, through some advanced programs that will be installed on an iPhone or iPad.

“We’ll be able to change the colors for holidays,” Hancock said, adding that the lights could be red and green during Christmastime, orange during Halloween, red, white and blue for Independence Day and even pink or red for Valentine’s Day.

Hancock said he and the contractors working on the project are very excited for what’s to come.

“I’ve worked feverishly on this project, and I am so excited,” he said. “This is going to be a really wonderful thing for our community. That night, when kids and families are there, and they get to see the lights come on for the first time in years — the energy that exists [in those moments] is just amazing.”

November 30, 2019 | 3:30 am

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