In a big city, light is life. Light is inviting. Light is vibrant. It reflects energy. It can breathe life into a place, or take your breath away. Welcome to our plan to spread that light and illuminate the spirit of Edmonton. Welcome to our plan to light the High Level Bridge.

Light The Bridge Donated $261525 CDN
Donated to the $3,000,000 CDN goal
Light The Bridge Community Members 73
Community members
Light The Bridge Business Members 4
Businesses & Corporations

Vision

To this day, it remains Edmonton’s most iconic structure. But when the sun goes down, that symbol fades away.

Our vision is to turn on Edmonton’s landmark bridge by decking it out with thousands of smart, programmable LED lights. It’s a never-been-tried-before-but-really-feels-like-Edmonton campaign to ask folks to buy a bulb on the bridge.  When this works, we’ll be able to tell you where your bulb is located on the newly lit bridge.

This isn’t government money.

This will be the work of donations big and small from a community united by the desire to show clearly that we are here, we are proud to be here, and that you might want to join us here and call Edmonton home. Some of the money will be raised in the buy-a-bulb drive, some will be raised from the corporate sector. The team effort means the High Level Bridge will keep doing its connecting work, but just a little differently.

Lighting the bridge has been talked about for years. This is no one person’s idea. Maybe it has caught on now because the economics and the environmental friendliness of modern lighting technology make so much sense.

But it will not be cheap. The project is expected to cost around $3 million and will take a few months to get off the ground. Since news of project surfaced, people have told us again and again to do it right. Make it great. And that’s the plan: to turn the bridge from the quiet workhorse it’s been for a century into a signature written in light for the future.

Share the vision. Spread the word. Buy a bulb.

The lights will do the rest.

Why Donate?

Indeed, why donate your money? Why buy a bulb? Here are a few good reasons we have heard from people who have asked (and answered) those same questions:

You imagine the feeling of looking at the gloriously lit High Level Bridge and saying, “That light is mine.” Or: “That light is there for my grandfather.” Or for anyone else who has illuminated your life.

You want to photograph the High Level Bridge at night—for the first time ever! Or walk or ride your bike (or your canoe) under it. Or park your car and just look at it.

You think we could all do a better job telling the world we’re proud of Edmonton, and you want to be part of an easy, colourful way of doing that.

You look forward to seeing that signature image of the lit bridge on television broadcasts.

You know the artistic community in Edmonton will make this bridge its own, finding memorable ways to program its lights.

You like the idea that this initiative will be funded without taxpayers' money.

Or, you have your own (and even better) reason for wanting to get on board with a donation!

Remember, if you donate $20 or more, you get a tax receipt.

Partners

It’s fitting that the project to light the High Level Bridge is connecting people and businesses from across Edmonton and the Capital Region.

EPCOR has contributed $225,000 to design and installation, and a host of Edmonton and area businesses and organizations have already indicated they’ll contribute in cash or with expertise.

The City of Edmonton, while supporting the project and overseeing it, is not a financial partner in the design and installation of the lights.

But you are—if you choose to join the movement by contributing yourself, or spreading the word.

History

Completed in 1913, the High Level Bridge connected the newly amalgamated communities of Edmonton and Strathcona with rail, streetcar, automobile, and pedestrian access. Its location next to the brand new Alberta legislature meant that, from the start, this new bridge was an iconic feature of the flourishing city.  

At 755 meters long and 48 meters high above the water, it took almost 1.4 million rivets, 305,000 metres of steel, 25 thousand barrels of concrete, and 11,750 litres of paint to build the 28-span truss bridge.

When the $2-million project was complete, the High Level Bridge was the highest streetcar river crossing in the world. Although the last commuter streetcar crossed the bridge in 1951, you can still experience the thrilling ride in a vintage streetcar during the summer months.

In addition to the upper streetcar track, the High Level Bridge now features two lanes of southbound traffic, bordered by sidewalks on each side. The bridge is no longer used for rail traffic, having carried its last train in 1989.

After 100 years, the High Level Bridge continues to serve the people of Edmonton and our many visitors. Its breathtaking views of the valley remind us that the North Saskatchewan River was, is, and always will be the backbone of our community.

From the shore, it’s hard to dismiss and impossible to ignore the High Level’s incredible expanse of concrete and steel. Those engineers, steel workers, and visionary leaders did more than build a bridge—they united a community and enabled a young city to guide and govern the province of Alberta, what would soon become one of the world’s strongest economies.

Want to learn more about the High Level Bridge? Here are some great resources:

Technology

Inside the vivid image of an illuminated High Level Bridge are some impressive technical facts and feats. 

The light-the-bridge project will feature 1,120 luminaires (fixtures) containing almost 60,000 light emitting diodes (LEDs). Each luminaire will be fastened in such as way as to achieve a 3G vibration rating to maintain the integrity of the presentation through the natural rattles and vibrations of the working bridge. 

The lights can be individually controlled and dim, flash, glow and glitter in one or every imaginable colour.

The design eliminates traditional light pollution by having all the lights pointed downward. And it significantly reduces light trespass with a technique of aiming the light beams only at the bridge itself. Our design means that the light lights the bridge, and does not stray.

Media

The Light The Bridge project has inspired a lot of discussion in the media. Here are some of the latest stories on the project.

Let us know what you think on our Facebook Page or through Twitter.

Contact

Have a question, concern, or great idea? Give us a call or send us an email. We promise to get back to you at just under the speed of light.

Tammy Pidner

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation,
9990 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5J 1P7

Phone #:(780) 917-7642
Fax: (780) 426-0535
E-Mail Address: TPidner@Edmonton.com