Gerald Desmond Bridge

The Gerald Desmond Bridge was originally an arch bridge carrying five lanes of traffic from Long Beach, California, west to Terminal Island. To replace this aging bridge, a new six-lane cable-stayed main span bridge was completed in 2020. The new 2000ft (3km) Gerald Desmond Bridge is supported by two, faceted, 515-foot-tall (157m) monopole bridge towers. 

To add a dramatic presence to the poles and the 80 cable stays, ARUP used nearly 200 Lumenpulse Lumenbeam luminaires to create a decorative lighting program that has increased excitement around the bridge and allowed it to leave a signature on the Long Beach night. All four cable stay spans use uplighting and downlighting alternately to give a positive/negative pattern, enhancing the span, depth, and height of the cables. The luminaires are barely noticeable, as they blend with the bridge's architecture, allowing the eye to focus on the glowing cable spans themselves. 

An exciting feature of this project is that it used Lumenpulse's proprietary technology, Lumentalk, which allowed ARUP to implement modern, addressable lighting control using only the existing electrical wires, and eliminated the need for new control wires, saving the entire project time, money, and hassle. Lumentalk enabled the RGBW Lumenbeams to light the new bridge in dynamic colors, giving all those nearby a visual reminder of its importance to international trade and regional commerce. But the RGBW Lumenbeams go even further than just reminding. On the first night of being lit, the luminaires were programmed by ARUP to display 15 different scenes, including Hanukkah, Christmas, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers colors, and the Port of Long Beach's brand colors. Now, the Lumenbeams are enacting their pre-programmed schedule to mark holidays, such as Independence Day and Christmas, and special occasions, such as the Olympics and Pride Month.  

Enhanced by the Lumenpulse Lumenbeam's dynamic, customizable architectural lighting, the Gerald Desmond Bridge has inspired civic pride and the imaginations of everyone that has enjoyed its span into the nightscape.  

EQUIPMENT SPECIFIED 
192 x Lumenbeam LBX (RGBW, Very Narrow 6°, Lumentalk Enabled) 
1 x Lumenbeam Grande (RGBW, Wide Flood 60°) 
Lumentalk 
Lumenlink