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2mo ago

Bay Lights Return Friday in Phased Relighting of Rebuilt Bay Bridge Artwork

A privately funded $11 million rebuild introduces custom Musco LEDs with updated software to endure bay winds, salt air, vibration.

Artist Leo Villareal uses a laptop and special software to tweak the sequences of the Bay Lights, which will officially relight on Friday on the western span of the Bay Bridge and remain for at least a decade.
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Overview

  • Grand Lighting is set for Friday, March 20, at about 7:30 p.m., aligning with Willie L. Brown’s 92nd birthday.
  • Relaunch will illuminate roughly 25,000 west-facing LEDs visible from San Francisco, with a similar number on the East Bay side installed but awaiting final safety tests and approvals.
  • The project was financed entirely by private donors and engineered by Musco Lighting, with the new hardware covered by a 10-year warranty.
  • Artist Leo Villareal preserved signature sequences while introducing new material enabled by more advanced code.
  • The 2026 installation adds an inward-facing TBL360 strand intended to expand visibility to more Bay Area communities when the full system is activated.