McGees cover their third Charleston bridge in lightsBy Ashley B. Craig, Daily Mail, January 22, 2009CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The McGees are at it again, and the mayor of Charleston is grateful.
"Light the bridge," Ruth McGee called over a megaphone to engineers under the bridge on the east side of the icy Elk River.
After her call at 6 p.m., as the sun was setting on a bitterly cold but clear Wednesday evening, the new lights on the bridge began to glow.
The couple's mission to brighten Charleston's bridges was complete.
John and Ruth McGee have provided the inspiration and funding; Pittsburgh lighting engineer Hal Hilbish has provided the expertise; and city officials have coordinated the work necessary to light three of the city's bridges, the South Side Bridge, the Kanawha Boulevard Bridge and finally the Lee Street Bridge.
"They're people following their passion. A lot of people want to see money spent in the city in certain ways; the McGees wanted this," Mayor Danny Jones said.
Jones said the lights make the city stand out.
As were the previous two projects, the Lee Street Bridge lighting was paid for by a donation from the McGee Foundation, the couple's philanthropic group.
"We are grateful for their contribution to the city," Jones said.
City Manager David Molgaard said the South Side Bridge was painted a silvery gray shortly before the bridge was lit and that the same color will be used when the Kanawha Boulevard Bridge is painted in the near future.
The Lee Street Bridge is state-owned, and while city officials would like to paint it the same color as the other two, they will have to go through the Governor's Office to get permission, they said.
The lighting system for the South Side Bridge was complete in 2000, and the Kanawha Boulevard Bridge was lit in December. Jones said the Lee Street Bridge project was supposed to be finished last year but was delayed.
The McGees, who have traveled widely, were inspired on a trip to London.
"The real reason for doing this is my wife," McGee said.
The couple was at a party in a room atop one of the towers at the newly lit Tower Bridge in London several years ago. Ruth was captivated by the lights and thought of bringing the beauty of the Tower Bridge to Charleston as a way to say thank you to the city she called home.
The couple contacted Mary Jean Davis, an at-large member of city council, who turned to Hilbish.
The McGees selected the first bridge to be lit, and the mayor picked the second. Hilbish chose the last bridge because of its superstructure, John McGee said.
The South Side Bridge was Hilbish's first bridge project. Maguire Hilbish Associates, based in Sewickley, Pa., usually does lighting for buildings and parks.
White, 14-watt LED lights line the arch of the bridge's superstructure and the crossbars inside. High-pressure sodium lights were used to cast a golden glow on the piers under the bridge and on the roadway, Hilbish said. White lights also were used on the pedestrian lanterns and on the pillars on each side of the bridge.
The lights are long lasting and environmentally friendly, Hilbish said.
The Lee Street Bridge, while somewhat similar to the South Side Bridge in structure, was lit differently, the designer said.
"We listen to the bridge, and it tells us what to do. We looked at the bridge and determined what made the most sense," Hilbish said.
He said the Lee Street Bridge had a smaller superstructure than the South Side Bridge, but that made the newly lit bridge unique.
The Lee Street Bridge has about 84 lights in all, and the work took about a year and a half to complete.
The bridge will be lit every evening from dusk to dawn as the other bridges, and the city will pay for the electricity, city officials said.
"I think it's lovely," Ruth after the lighting.
The bridge is the last lighting project for the couple for now, John McGee said.
Hilbish is very pleased with the outcome.
"This town is blessed to have them," he said of the McGees.