KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The City of Knoxville announced Tuesday that for the first time in six years, the Henley Bridge will be fitted with decorative lighting.
The bridge will be lit in orange and white at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night to celebrate the opening game of the University of Tennessee’s home opener on Saturday.
“We are pleased to have found a cost-effective solution that will once again allow us to program the bridge lighting in virtually any color combination to celebrate local festivals, public events and causes that are important to Knoxville residents,” said Mayor Kincannon.
Mayor Kincannon said the bridge’s lights will not only be used on Tennessee game days. The lights will also be programmed for various events and celebrations, including the Knox Asian Festival scheduled for next week and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
“This is something we’ve wanted to do for some time,” Mayor Kincannon continued. “It’s now more reliable and affordable thanks to new technology that wasn’t available in 2018 when the original bulbs stopped working. Not only are the new smart LED bulbs state-of-the-art, they cost one-tenth of the old lighting systems – and we’re buying them from a local company.”
The original lights on Henley Bridge were part of a bridge reconstruction that began in 2011. These lights were powered by a DMX cable and ran through a bridge railing. At some point the cables became damaged, causing the string of lights to fail.
Click here to view a full schedule of commemorative lighting through the end of 2024.
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