OIL CITY, Pa. — The Oil City Main Street Program and the Oil Region Alliance are making final preparations for an “Illumination Celebration” to mark the official illumination of the Center Street Bridge on Saturday, August 19, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the bridge.
A portion of Center Street from Route 8 to Seneca Street will be closed to vehicles that evening to allow for the safety of pedestrians.
The event will be a family-friendly affair to include music, dancing, activities for children and free glow necklaces while supplies last. There will be a brief ceremony beginning at approximately 8 pm, with luminaries floating down Oil Creek (recently designated as a Pennsylvania Water Trail) at dusk. The bridge will be illuminated at dark with a light show displaying the various capabilities of the light system.
The event celebrates the completion of a project nearly three years in the making, according to Kathy Bailey, Main Street Manager. “The idea to add lights to one of our bridges was penciled into our 5-year strategy early on.
In 2014, we heard of a similar bridge lighting project in Saegertown, and also learned of PennDOT’s plans to rehabilitate the Center Street Bridge. It took several years to piece together the partners and the funding needed to make it all happen, but we are thrilled that the work is complete.”
The project involves color-changing LED lights that are being attached to the arches and uprights of the north and south faces of the bridge structure, with a strip of flexible lighting running across the base of the bridge. The lights can be programmed and changed according to seasons, holidays, or special events. The system was designed by Vincent Lighting Systems of Pittsburgh, and installed by Snyder Electric of Oil City.
The total cost of the project is $88,393.58 including design, materials, equipment and labor, and has been funded entirely through various private grants and resources.
“It is exciting to see this project come to fruition,” stated Bailey. The Center Street Bridge is a beautiful historic structure that is a gateway into downtown Oil City. We are grateful that PennDOT was able to rehabilitate the bridge in 2016 – and now the lights really accent its architectural details and add new level of ‘cool’ to our downtown. We are so thankful to the many donors, project partners and volunteers who have come together to take it from dream to reality.”
For further information, please contact the Oil City Main Street program at 814-677-3152, ext. 101.