Montrose Management District (MMD) is pleased to announce that the project to install permanent lighting on the seven arched bridges spanning US 59 – connecting Montrose with the rest of Houston – has been completed. The new, low-energy LED lighting system outlines the arches of the bridges and illuminates the streets.
The bridge lights were turned on to celebrate the Super Bowl in February but were missing some the hardware and systems designed to make the lights work reliably for the long-term. The Montrose Management District has been working closely with engineering teams from TxDOT and Gandy Squared Lighting Design and the installation contractor, Third Coast LLC, to complete the work.
“The bridge lights have brought national and international attention to Montrose and is something that puts a unique accent mark on our corner of Houston,” said Claude Wynn, MMD Chairman of the Board. “Our team, along with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Houston Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), Gandy Squared, Third Coast, State Representative Garnet Coleman and the City of Houston worked for years making this project happen and we are very excited to announce that it is complete.”
Funding for the project was secured by the Montrose Management District, after successfully applying for $1.4 million in Transportation Enhancement Grant from TxDOT. The District also financed the costs for the architectural plans, a myriad of other ancillary costs, and match funding required by grant recipients. Both TxDOT and H-GAC also contributed more than $700,000 each to the project. Total investment was slightly more than $3.7 M and involved replacing bridge and street lighting for Woodhead, Mandell, Dunlavy, Hazard, Graustark and Montrose (2 bridges).
The lights include 2800+ LED strands on the inside and outside of the archways and 308 LED spotlights pointing up at the bridge canopies. Each platform also has four LED lamps at street level to illuminate the sidewalks and increase pedestrian safety. The LED technology allows for easy maintenance and the lights are expected to last for 20 years.
An event celebrating the completion of the lights will be held at a future date. Additional facts and history of the bridge can be found at www.montrosedistrict.org/bridgelights