LONG BEACH : Bridge Lighting Project Gets $50,000 From L.A.
The fight to string lights on the Vincent Thomas Bridge, a 6,060-foot link between Long Beach and San Pedro, got a $50,000 boost recently from the Los Angeles City Council.
A group of Harbor-area residents has fought since 1988 to illuminate Southern California’s longest suspension bridge, which spans the main channel of the Port of Los Angeles. They argue that the bridge, which fades from view at night, could be a perfect welcoming monument for visitors arriving by air or sea.
“Just like the Golden Gate (Bridge) is the welcoming sign to San Francisco, the Vincent Thomas Bridge will be the welcoming sign to L.A.,” said Louis Dominguez, the committee’s chairman.
The committee can at last move ahead with a design to light the bridge’s span, cables and roadways, Dominguez said.
Residents of the port communities have donated $20,000 toward the expense, he said.
The cost is expected to be $300,000, so the committee continues to lobby city officials for $144,000 set aside for a harbor monument. The money was donated to the city by a Japanese firm, Shuwa Corp., several years ago.
Tom Kruesopon, a spokesman for Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., said he believes the city will contribute more funds.
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