Montpelier Alive outlines Stage 2 bridge-lighting plans, seeks funding for three additional bridges

Vivian Ladd Tomasi, coordinator of Montpelier Alive’s Bridge Illumination Project, briefed the Montpelier Design Review Committee on results from the first stage of a multiyear effort to illuminate downtown bridges and on proposals for Stage 2, which would add programmable colors and lighting to additional bridges if funding is secured.

Tomasi said Montpelier Alive raised funds to illuminate seven bridges in 2024 and staged a public lighting ceremony and lantern parade last November. “About a thousand people came to celebrate the lighting of the bridges,” she said, and the lights now operate from dusk to approximately 10 p.m., with extended hours on weekends at some locations.

Stage 2 priorities described by Tomasi include replacing the Taylor Street installation with permanent programmable RGB fixtures (matching the system already on the Granite Street Bridge), adding programmable lights to Bailey Avenue and Langdon Street (with Langdon proposed to receive colored lighting in both directions), and installing wash lighting on the pedestrian bridge near the transit center to improve visibility along the adjacent bike path. Tomasi said the project team has discussed mounting details with the Department of Public Works and that the designs call for a limited number of attachment points; DPW staff were described as comfortable with the proposed attachments.

Committee members raised concerns about potential glare and abrupt transitions in night vision, particularly where a brightly lit bridge might open onto a darker path. Eric noted that a very bright tunnel of light could create a “black hole” effect when users exit to a darker area; Tomasi said she would raise the concern with the lighting contractor and that the project team is considering supplementary pathway lighting where needed.

Tomasi said complaints to date have been minimal; she recounted “1 complaint” but said most responses have been positive and that residents have said the lights make them feel safer. She also addressed energy concerns, noting the bridges are tied into the city electrical grid and that the city’s power supply is substantially offset by renewables: “The bridges are wired into the city electrical grid, which, as you all know, is sort of 80% offset,” she said. Tomasi told the committee that Montpelier Alive and the city have agreed that Montpelier Alive will oversee maintenance and pay electricity costs for the installations for the next five years.

Tomasi asked for feedback and said the group has applied for additional funding to light three more bridges in 2025, including the pedestrian bridge behind Shaw’s and the Spring Street pedestrian bridge. The presentation was an informal review only; no permit or binding action was requested at the meeting.