The Bay Area made a bittersweet goodbye on Sunday night after the creators of the illuminating 1.8-mile installation, known as “The Bay Lights” finally decided to pull the plug.
The Bay Bridge lights were created by artist Leo Villareal on March 5, 2013 and officially shut down on their 10 year installation anniversary at 8 p.m. The Bay Lights' last moments before going dark were caught on camera.
Local residents were upset about the discontinuation of the well-known landmark, but the Bay Area’s harsh weather conditions damaged the lights, according to its creators.
“You gotta have hope,” said Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar Restaurant in San Francisco. “That's really what the Bay Lights are about; it's about hope. And in this day, right now, San Francisco could use it.”
Strong rain, wind, and salt caused some sections of the 25,000 LED white lights to go completely dark. “
But there is still hope that the Bay Bridge will glimmer across the city once again if the nonprofit Illuminate that obtained funds for the lights 10 years ago manages to raise 11 million dollars this time around.
The fund would refurbish the damaged lights, install 50,000 more LED white lights, and light up the other side of the bridge, which would be visible from Oakland and Alameda. There would also be a pathway of lights on the inside of the bridge to assist in guiding drivers across the bridge.
With the new proposed installation, The Bay Lights would be able to withstand the notorious weather conditions.
Ben Davis, the founder of Illuminate, said the refurbishment would take eight to ten months and so far the organization has received more than $6 million in pledges.
“We really need a few thunderbolts of love right now and if we get that this project comes back,” said Davis.
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