NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen approved plans Tuesday for relighting the Natchez bridges crossing the Mississippi River to Vidalia, La.
Bulbs will be ordered for giving the bridges the aesthetic illumination the Mississippi Legislature provided $500,000 to do in 2022.
This is not enough money to fully adorn the bridges with decorative lights as Mayor Dan Gibson has envisioned since taking office in 2020, but he said “we are going to let this be our step forward – phase one. Of course, we have a ways to go.”
Gibson has been striving to replicate what the two bridges had from 2010 to 2018 with lights that gave the spans their icy glow. The electrical fixtures deteriorated and were removed six years ago.
Plans call for about 176 bulbs being ordered that have an estimated life span of about 10 years, said city Community Development Director James Johnston.
The bridges’ existing wiring from the previous lights will be assessed to determine if they need to be replaced, Gibson said. Vidalia is also helping with the project.
With the Mississippi Legislature providing $500,000 to Natchez for this two years ago, Gibson said the money needs to be used or it could be rescinded. He noted Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann recently asked him about the earmark. “He said you need to spend that money because we have other cities in line, and we hate to see it go elsewhere.”
The mayor continues to express hopes the Louisiana Legislature will also allocate funds for this.
Some engineering and design work has begun for the bridge lights. The necessary permits have been granted from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard, which regulate structures and navigation on the Mississippi River. Johnston also noted the lights will be turned on daily from dusk to around 10 p.m. They will be turned off for a couple of weeks during bird-migration seasons.
The bridge lights will be a scaled-down rendition of the special-effect, multicolored luminosity Gibson earlier envisioned that had been estimated to cost more than $5 million.
Pursuing dark sky status more important to wildlife and human health in this area than this waste of money. And 2 weeks does not cut it for migration. Talk to the local scientists at the least.