Lights to turn Bay Bridge into giant work of art

<p>SAN FRANCISCO - The western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is getting spruced up with 25,000 white LED lights, transforming the gray, workhorse of a bridge into a light sculpture.</p><p>The Contra Costa Times reports (http://bit.ly/Ymsyjz ) that the $8 million, privately funded project will be done by March. It would be the largest such light sculpture in the world; four times bigger than the installation on Paris' Eiffel Tower.</p><p>New York light sculptor Leo Villareal says the idea is to help people see the bridge in a new way. It will also add some pizazz to the old span when the new eastern portion of the bridge opens later in 2013.</p><p>To prevent distracted driving, the lights won't be viewable by drivers, but from the shoreline.</p><p>Copyright © 2012 PressDemocrat.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only.</p>