The Bay Lights

The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, better known as the Bay Bridge in the area, had a public light art installation activated on its western span March 5th, 2013. The two year run of the art installation is scheduled to end in a few days before coming back permanently in 2016. With this in mind, I wanted to make sure I captured the bridge lit up before the lights go out.

Designed by artist Leo Villareal, 25,000 LED lights were installed in such a way as to not be visible to the drivers on the bridge and just those observing from a distance. Amazingly, it only costs about $15/night to power all those LEDs!

The LEDs are sequenced to go through various patterns and transitions somewhat randomly to keep it fresh. I really enjoy seeing the bridge lit up this way.

In case you're wondering, a good vantage point to view the bridge (as pictured here) is from the end of Pier 14. It's located next to the Ferry Building, but has an unobstructed view of the bridge.

The Bay Bridge illuminated by, "The Bay Lights" art installation.