April 30, 2023 - Let's Light The Bridges Downtown
Around Our Town with Gene Merritt
News and Views from the Port City of Wilmington, NC
Let’s light the bridges downtown…
April 30, 2023
Albert Bridge London, United Kingdom
Lighting the bridges on the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington could be a major improvement, creating an exciting new aesthetic in southeastern North Carolina and a major tourist attraction…
Let’s Illuminate the river
Let’s be maybe the only city in the south and one of the few in the United States to light their bridges, thereby illuminating their river. Let’s be special. Doing so would be good for business and would become a tourist attraction. The outcome would be an aesthetic wonder and a source of pride for the people of southeastern North Carolina.
I envision both the Cape Fear River bridges lighted and maybe even the battleship. Can you imagine the view crossing either bridge?
We could install high-tech LED lighting to be controlled by a computer. The lights could be programmed, creating different color patterns for different seasons and occasions, and turned off late at night.
Yes, I realize we are planning to build a replacement for the Cape Fear River Memorial Bridge, but that will take some time. Let’s go ahead and light them now. Maybe some or all that lighting can be transferred to the new bridge. The Isabelle Holmes bridge is good to go and would be lighted also.
Yes, such a project would cost money. The amount could vary, depending on the plan. But we are not talking about an outrageous amount. Who would provide the money? I suggest the following:
North Carolina Department of Transportation
New Hanover County
City of Wilmington
State and federal grants
Private contributors
Dividing the cost among the most amount of sources would make the project affordable to all.
We could also investigate some economic development and other sources of grants. Possibly a federal grant for economic development purposes.
Who should promote this project? I suggest, at least, the following entities:
City of Wilmington
Wilmington Downtown, Inc.
Downtown Business Alliance
Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce
Wilmington Business Development, Inc.
New Hanover County
Town of Leland
Private parties
Let’s make 2023 a great year by getting organized and illuminating our river. Let’s do something special.
What do you think?
Around Our Town with Gene Merritt
Blog number 4
April 30, 3023
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