Shreveport – Bossier Sparkles with Bridge Lighting Upgrade

LED there be light! The Texas Street Bridge glows after eight years of darkness, restoring light and life to the Shreveport – Bossier, Louisiana community.

The century-old bridge, also known as O. K. Allen or Long-Allen Bridge, is the signature of these sister cities. First lit in 1993, the bridge, adorned in neon lighting, was considered a public art project. Over time, the fixtures failed, and the city was unable to maintain the installation.

In 2022, Signify, in collaboration with the Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC), local artists, designers and IT professionals, upgraded the landmark with our dynamic, colorful and energy-efficient connected LED lighting, thanks to a generous donation from Dr. and Mrs. George Bakowski.

The bridge – now nicknamed the Bakowski Bridge of Lights – is illuminated with our Color Kinetics solutions and Interact connected lighting system. Specifically, Color Kinetics ColorBlast IntelliHue Powercore gen 4 luminaires illuminate its steel beams and trusses, while Color Kinetics Data Enabler Pro powers the luminaires, and our Interact Landmark with Pharos LPC X control the interactive system.

The connected lighting solution enables a flexible, programmable display of light that can be customized to support local engagement with interactive capabilities. The city can create light shows that correspond with special celebrations, causes and announcements. Even local students can help “Light It Up”! The SRAC’s educational residency turns young artists into certified lighting designers. Open to students from fifth grade through college, the program helps economically challenged and underserved students, as well as students with high-functioning autism, train for future professional art careers.

Residents can get in on the fun by ‘Adopting a Light for a Year’ and customize the colors on the South Side of the bridge for their own special events, like weddings and festivals. In fact, the bridge’s debut lighting ceremony kicked off with a mass wedding ceremony, followed by a light show and fireworks.