Pensacola Bay Bridge lights part of testing, not pride month

May 12, 2023

Anyone driving across Pensacola Bay at night over the last few weeks may have noticed the new colorful lights across the new Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Bridge.

With the bridge open to traffic since February, many people may not realize the bridge is still officially under construction, and the final phases of construction include installing the new lights, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

Many people on social media this week mistakenly believed the lights were in honor of Pride Month, which threw some readers into an angry tirade, while others welcomed the idea. Regardless, the reports were inaccurate.

The new LED lights, however, are designed to light the bridge for special occasions. The lights were part of the original plans for the bridge, and as the bridge nears official completion, contractors are testing them, FDOT spokesperson Ian Satter said.

Bridge opens:Westbound span of Pensacola Bay Bridge is open. PPD has already made 21 traffic stops.

Six lanes of trafficAll six lanes of Pensacola Bay Bridge now open; final completion estimated for spring

"It's in a troubleshooting phase where they're looking at every aspect of the lighting system," Satter said. "So they do that at different times. They're looking at everything from the sequencing, the colors, the patterns. There are hundreds of light fixtures and electronic systems. They're testing all that."

When complete, the bridge and the lighting system will be under the control of the Florida Department of Transportation.

When the bridge is complete, the lights will only be on during state and federal holidays, Satter said.

"Those were decided when we were doing our project development for the bridge," Satter said. "So you'll see a certain color pattern that will be lit up for Fourth of July and Memorial Day and those types of things. We have specific patterns that we will have in place for those holidays."

Over the next week or two, the lights could be on at any point as contractors work through the final troubleshooting phase, then the lights will be on every night for a month-long "burn-in" phase, Satter said.

"We will go through with our pre-programmed themes over that 30-day burn-in period to make sure everything is working according to the pre-programmed themes that we have, and then they'll be finished," Satter said.

Skanska, the contractor building the Pensacola Bay Bridge, is in the final phases of construction of the new bridge and is expected to complete the project this year.

Satter couldn't give an exact date for when the bridge will be complete. He said, Skanska will notify FDOT it is ready to hand over the bridge through an official letter, and FDOT will conduct its final inspections before taking ownership.

"I imagine we'd see that letter sooner rather than later, but I don't have a specific time," Satter said.