Strawberry Mansion Bridge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The 1200-foot bridge, spanning the Schuylkill River, required illumination in a dramatic way, incorporating light, color and special effects to enhance the bridge structure and atmosphere of the park setting.

Challenges faced were the physical constraints to accommodate the high archways and waterway, low maintenance and energy efficiency, and programmability and aesthetics. It had to withstand extreme weather conditions, and the vibrational movement on the bridge.

The Solid State Lighting (SSL) solution addressed these challenges. The LED color change system met the low maintenance and energy efficiency requirements. The SSL system virtually eliminated the need for maintenance, which was particularly appealing because of the high arches and river setting.

The four arches were illuminated by 12 light pipe configurations, consisting of an LED luminaire and light guides of up to 22’. The LED luminaire utilized RGB control technology to produce dynamic color change. Each luminaire had a connected load of 35 watts; the system load was 1.68kW. Custom brackets were designed to mount the light pipes.

A customized control system located on-site allowed remote access and programming of various schemes and color changes. The SSL system achieves up to 16 million discrete colors and can be turned on and off automatically.

The control system enables special effects of custom color change programs showing “chasing of individual colors” from arch to arch, or from one light pipe to another.

The system incorporates themes for special events and programs for professional sports teams and a red, white and blue theme for Independence Day celebrations.