City River Crossing To Be Illuminated
Work begins on Sunday (17 February) on a £167k project to light the city of Inverness’s main river crossing.
Ness Bridge is to be fitted with colour changing LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting to reflect on the water and in doing so, will become a striking new addition to city’s nightime scene.
Once work is completed, after dusk, the Ness Bridge will come to life in a dynamic display with endless potential to change the lighting sequence across the full colour palette, and to link the changes to wind speed, or water flow. All controlled by a computer system, lighting can also be programmed to celebrate events or special days in the cultural calendar such as blue and white on St. Andrew’s Day and red and yellow for Chinese New Year.
The project, part of the City Lighting Strategy, illuminatinginverness, is being fully funded through the Inverness City Vision Cities Growth Fund monies for 2006-2008 and compliments the lighting work already in place around Inverness Castle and the environmental improvements of the Streetscape programme.
Provost Bob Wynd, Chairman of The Highland Council's Inverness City Committee, said: “One of the most remarkable assets we have in Inverness is the River Ness. Ness Bridge which is rather a standard looking bridge during the day will be transformed into a stunning feature at night. The illuminatinginverness initiative is all about making the city look more attractive and feel safer at night. The work on Ness Bridge will add an additional wow factor to the evening atmosphere, greatly enhancing the visitor experience and promoting civic pride.”
In future years, it is proposed that Friar’s Bridge could get the same treatment and the Greig Street and Infirmary footbridges will be illuminated in blue and white.
To ensure public safety during the installation of the lighting equipment, a single footway over the bridge will be closed from Sunday (17 February) to Sunday 2 March. Either footway may be closed at any one time, but pedestrian access across the Bridge will be maintained at all times. Vehicular access will remain unaffected during all the work.