Lights on Old Harbor Bridge Turning Off Permanently Monday Morning
Lighting System has passed its end of life by six years
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – After more than ten years of illumination, the Harbor Bridge decorative lights will be removed starting this Monday, June 14. The last night of illumination on the 62-year-old Harbor Bridge will be on Sunday.
Removal of the decorative lights will begin at 8 a.m. Monday and is expected to take ten weeks to complete. Electrical power to the decorative lighting system will be terminated Monday, June 14.
The lights were installed in 2010 and were designed to last only five years but have been in place for more than ten years. The lighting system has passed its end of life by nearly six years.
Ongoing inspections over the past six months have determined that the system’s metal mounting brackets are severely corroded and unstable to remain on the Harbor Bridge.
The instability of the metal mounting brackets can result in them breaking off the bridge at any time and poses a serious threat to motorists and pedestrians on and underneath the Harbor Bridge.
During its regular meeting Tuesday, City Council approved the removal of the lighting system by Pfeiffer & Son, LTD at the cost of $448,725.00. The company installed the lights in 2010. Funds for the removal come from the City's general fund with in-kind service agreements from the Port of Corpus Christi and the Texas Department of Transportation worth approximately $150,000 each.
The new Harbor Bridge is being built with an elaborate decorative lighting system.