PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland is known as the City of Bridges — and one bridge over the Willamette River has a colorful tradition.
The lighting of the Morrison Bridge is a community effort and a unique feature of where we live. It’s the busiest bridge owned by Multnomah County, but the colors belong to everyone.
“So anybody who has a cause or a memory that they want to share, and do that via color, they have the opportunity to rent the bridge and put their colors on the bridge,” Ed Slavin with Willamette Light Brigade said.
There are 11 million possible color combinations that can be projected onto the Morrison’s concrete walls with 32 powerful LED lights. The colors are programmed by Multnomah County’s bridge electrician on a computer from his office in the Eastside Industrial District.
Bridge electrician Fred Weber said, “This is connected via fiber optic line all the way from here to the Morrison Bridge, and on both sides.”
The nonprofit Willamette Light Brigade is behind the tradition. The idea started in 1986 by Multnomah County Commissioner Pauline Anderson and Portland City Commissioner Mike Lindberg. It was financed by public donations and Portland General Electric.
A temporary lighting of the Hawthorne Bridge led to the lights on the Morrison — and in 2009, the public was invited to take part.
“It creates community,” Slavin said. “Let’s talk about something. What color is on the bridge and why is it there?”
The Light Brigade’s website answers those questions and offers a way you can put your colors on the bridge for as little as $100 a night.
While this is the Willamette Light Brigade’s most prominent bridge lighting, it won’t be the last.
“Eventually, we’d like to have permanent architectural lighting on all the bridges,” Slavin said.
The Willamette Light Brigade is also behind the popular Winter Light Festival.