For the first time in six years, programmable decorative lighting has returned to the street-level deck of the Henley Bridge.
Join Mayor Indya Kincannon, Engineering Department Signal Shop staff, and representatives of Knoxville-based LED Lighting Concepts at
8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at Volunteer Landing, as the 180 retrofitted bridge lights are activated for the first time.
The bridge lights Thursday night will be programmed orange and white, in celebration of the University of Tennessee Volunteers’ home opener on Saturday.
But the bridge lights will also be turned to multiple colors for the Knox Asian Festival next week, for example, or to pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Or to red, white and blue for the anniversary of Knoxville’s founding, or for Election Day.
“We’re excited to have found a cost-effective solution that will again allow us to program the bridge lights in almost any color combinations to celebrate local festivals, public events and causes that Knoxvillians hold near and dear to their hearts,” Mayor Kincannon said.
“This is something we’ve been wanting to do for some time. It’s now more reliable and affordable due to new technology that wasn’t available in 2018, when the original lights stopped working. Not only are the new LED smart lamp bulbs state of the art, but they are one-tenth the cost of the old lighting systems – and we’re buying from a local company.”
Ginger Jamrog, LED Lighting Concepts owner and Business Manager, said she’s proud to make her home town the first large city to install this new technology.
“Our new lamp combines LED and mesh technology, allowing for unprecedented control over architectural lighting applications,” Jamrog said. “The Henley Bridge will be the first project in the nation to use this new technology, and we are thrilled be involved in the upgrades on the lighting for this iconic bridge.”
The original bridge lights were part of the state's $24.6 million complete reconstruction of the Henley Bridge, which began back in 2011. Those lights were powered through DMX cable, typically used in indoor movie theaters; the cable ran through a bridge railing.
Eventually, though, dampness damaged some of the cables. When one light went out, the rest of the string went out – kind of like an old-fashioned string of Christmas tree lights. That became a problem when replacement parts were no longer available.
The new equipment is totally different – Bluetooth mesh, all wireless. Once the colors are mixed and programmed, they can be activated by a password-protected City phone or iPad.
Click on this link to see the schedule of commemorative lightings through the end of 2024:
www.KnoxvilleTN.gov/HenleyLights