The Golden Gate Bridge is the most known of bridges in SF; however, it was not the first bridge to be built in the Bay Area… it’s not the longest… nor is it the most travelled. Some of these honours go to the James “Sunny Jim” Rolph Bridge, otherwise known as the Bay Bridge.
The Bay Bridge is a 7.18km double-decker self-anchored suspension bridge held up by a 1-mile long main cable. On an average day, the bridge carries an eye-popping quarter of a million people over its double decks!
Now it will be adding a new distinction to its sash: that of the world’s largest LED light sculpture. Tonight (March 5, 2013) at 9pm is the grand lighting of Bay Lights, a project conceived by Ben Davis in 2011 and designed by Leo Villareal in honour of the bridge’s 75th Anniversary (2011). The lights will run from dusk until 2am for two years.
On one particularly lucky evening, I snagged a sneak peek and a couple of shots when I happened to be down by the waterfront as they were testing the lights. The display is so incredibly magical that it reminded me of a giant harp playing with the wind.
