Even if the evening of July 4 is clear and dry in Toledo, weather already will have affected part of the city’s Independence Day show.
The Ohio Department of Transportation has disclosed that the new, dynamic, decorative lighting system on the Anthony Wayne Bridge’s suspension cables will not be operational in time for Toledo’s fireworks display.
“It was our goal to have the lighting portion of the project working by Independence Day; however, there have been delays with weather, as well as obtaining materials,” Rebecca Dangelo, ODOT’s district spokesman in Bowling Green, said in a written statement to The Blade.
“I share the community’s disappointment that this important project won’t be done by Independence Day and I would encourage the state of Ohio to finish this project as quickly as possible,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said, also in a written statement.
American Bridge Co. of Coraopolis, Pa., has been working since early winter on its $17.3 million state contract to install both the lighting system and a dehumidifying system to retard rust on the 1931 vintage bridge’s suspension cables. The project also includes repairs to the cables’ hold-downs.
The lighting system will feature variably colored, pulsing light-emitting diodes on the cables and flood lighting for the towers on the structure, which is also known as the High Level Bridge.
Ms. Dangelo said ODOT is now “aiming for late summer/early fall” to have the lighting system operational, while the overall contract is slated for completion in May, 2020.
“We are awaiting a part that is anticipated to arrive in the next two to three weeks that is part of the critical path,” she said. “At this time, we don’t have a date for when the system will be operational.”
The project's original budget included $600,000 for a basic lighting system following the bridge's recent overhaul and painting. But Toledo Alight, a local fund-raising campaign, secured $300,000 from donors to pay for the incremental cost of the dynamic system designed by Erwin Redl, an Austrian-born artist who now lives in Bowling Green.
The effort included $50,000 contributions from ProMedica, Owens Corning, and Block Communications Inc., parent company of The Blade.
Other leading donors were: Taylor Automotive, KeyBank, PNC Bank, Huntington National Bank, the Toledo Mud Hens and Walleye, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, and the Lucas County commissioners. The city of Toledo provided $3,000 in 1 Percent for the Arts funding through the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo.
First Published June 13, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
