Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Lighting Design/Product Company Domingo Gonzalez Associates
Lead Designers Domingo Gonzalez, Phat Quach, Matthew Hangad, Yi-Szu Liao
Client Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
Photo Credits Jack Ramsdale, Charles P.H. Wong, John Bartelstone
Other Credits Videographer : Charles P.H. Wong
Completion Date November 2023
Project Location Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ
Entry Description
Replacing 20-year old legacy lighting, this comprehensive new design showcases a bridge spanning two states and 127 years of civic pride. One of only two versions in the world, this unique structure required lighting to be historically sensitive while establishing a precedent for its owner. Cantilevered but designed to mimic suspension, the 550-foot bridge is a national historic civic engineering landmark. Virtually all surfaces were washed or outlined, meeting with “resounding public approval” according to a local publication.
Internally illuminated trusses accentuate the bridge’s lacy structure, seen adjacent to continuous linear RGBW cove lighting. A curfew setting dims all but roadway and walkway lighting after midnight. Historic piers are gently washed with cross-aimed floodlights, dimmed in response to marine and avian neighbors. An “every night white” scene that reveals the bridge’s signature green paint runs most evenings. Community organizations can request temporary color schemes via a dedicated website.
A combination of solidity and lace, bridge lighting honors the signature green finish on nights when white lighting prevails. Surfaces are washed from within and without, and direct-view RGBW luminaires trace truss elements and define the walkway. Each luminaire was carefully tuned to be no brighter than necessary, and to minimize impacts to avian and marine life.
