Shining a Light on the Main Street Bridge in Welland, Ontario

The Main Street Bridge is a vertical lift bridge that crosses the Welland Canal in downtown Welland. Built in 1930, the bridge is located at an historical intersection linking East Main Street, which leads to Niagara Falls, to West Main Street and the rest of the town. The Main Street Bridge stretches 70.6 m (232 ft) long and stands 9.1 m (30 ft) high.

Photos by Thies Bogner MPA, Lesther Corrales, Procon, and Rebecca Ho-Dion.

{loadposition slideShow7}

As a significant symbol of Welland’s history and pride, the town desired to revitalize the Main Street Bridge with a new lighting system. The goal was to illuminate the bridge and add colour to showcase the capabilities of the structure. Welland native Marcel Dion, of Marcel Dion Lighting Design (MDLD) worked with Integrated Engineering, choosing Philips Color Kinetics fixtures for their controllability and DMX capabilities. LEDgendary Lighting commissioned the project system design, as well as the programming.

ColorReach Compact Powercore fixtures were used to light the two towers standing at either end of the bridge and to illuminate the operating cables. ColorGraze MX Powercore fixtures were used on the outer perimeter and underside of the structure to highlight the metal beams, and eW Burst Powercore was mounted to the centre of the structure above the roadway for primary street lighting. “MDLD worked with Philips Lighting Canada, whose service was essential in assisting with samples, installation instructions, and expedited production services to meet tight deadlines, all with a cost effective solution,” said Dion.
The lighting project was completed in time to illuminate the bridge for Canada Day on July 1. Crowds gathered along both sides of the canal, and chants of “Light it up!” began echoing around the new landmark.  As the lighting effects turned red and white — the colours of the Canadian flag — the crowd began singing “O, Canada,” which could be heard for miles around the historic bridge.

The project was not about simply adding lights, Dion told Lighting Today magazine.* Instead, the design emerged through a study of the bridge’s structure and cultural context. “The structure, the beauty of the bridge, was already in place. We set out to create a nighttime identity that is reminiscent of the five key components of the bridge in its prime.” While the intricacy of the bridge is evident up close, the lighting accentuates the iconic silhouette from a distance.
The two towers have been uplit and illuminated using Philips Color Kinetics Color Reach Compact Powercore with various optics to elongate the big mass and highlight the detailed interior, explains Lighting Today Magazine. The operating cables, which were removed from the towers during the decommissioning in the early 70s, have been re- introduced and mimicked with Color Reach Compact Powercore narrow beam distribution. A fusion of up and down lighting highlights the machine room, formerly the focal point of the action on the bridge. Color Graze MX Powercore narrow beams illuminate the bridge span by downlighting and grazing in between the web structure; this is reminiscent of the segment that used to rise between the two towers. eW Burst Powercore Architectural downlights function as roadway lighting, strategically downlit to illuminate the street. Finally, large structural beams beneath the bridge are illuminated via Color Graze MX Powercore flood distribution to create reflections on the water and metaphorically ‘lift’ the bridge to reclaim its former glory.

The Main Street Bridge is now illuminated in vibrant colours and bright white light every day until midnight. The new installation has enhanced the major landmark and attracts viewers and tourists to the town.

This article is based on a Philips Lighting blog. Learn more about Marcel Dion

 * Lighting Today, October/December 2015, published by Trade Link Media Pte. Ltd., http://tradelinkmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/09/18/16/12/59/757/LT_Vol_4_2015_Online.pdf