NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
14 April 2003

MARKET STREET BRIDGE TO GET ANTIQUE-STYLED STREETLIGHTS, UNDERSIDE ARCHES TO BE LIGHTED FOR DRAMATIC NIGHTTIME EFFECT; PLAZA AND WEST SHORE FIXTURES TO BE RESTORED

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that the historic Market Street Bridge will undergo a major upgrade in its lighting, with both entrance areas of the bridge also slated for restoration. Motorists will see the work getting underway on May 1.

The project includes:

• Installation of replicas of the original lantern-styled light fixtures on the bridge piers between the downtown and City Island; the originals were removed in the 1950s;
• Placement of antique-styled tear-drop streetlights on the piers between City Island and the West Shore;
• Addition of showcase lighting under the bridge arches between downtown and and City Island, which will create a dramatic visual effect at night, complemented by the nearby Walnut Street Bridge outline lighting, which was installed by the city 15 years ago;
• Restoration of the original lighted signage fixtures on the West Shore entrance to the bridge, which have not functioned since being damaged in the 1972 Agnes Flood;
• Restoration of the original cast-iron light fixtures, plaza and landscaping at the East Shore entranceway plaza to the bridge;
• Restoration of all electrical distribution and lighting controls;

Reed said the project will take seven months to complete. There may be times when a lane of the Market Street Bridge will be closed while work is underway, but the bridge itself will remain open. The city is the project sponsor, utilizing $974,126 in federal Transportation Enhancement Funds that are administered by the state Dept. of Transportation. The Office of the City Engineer is project director.

The consulting engineer and construction manager is Brinjac Engineering, Inc. of Harrisburg. The construction contractor who won the low bid through the competitive bidding process is Carr and Duff, Inc., of Huntingdon Valley, PA.

The Mayor said he wants to see similar projects undertaken for the State Street and Mulberry Street bridges in the future as funding allows.

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