SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The LEDs are mysteriously back on one week after the Bay Bridge light installation was turned off.
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Sunday night the Bay Bridge lights flickered back on even though the art installation was turned off a week prior on the tenth anniversary of them going up in the first place.
The lights were turned off as the artist who first put them up seeks more funding to create new, more long-lasting version.
Ben Davis, the founder of Illuminate which created the installation, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the reason the lights flickered back on is that the installation is damaged – so damaged even the off switch is no longer working.
Last week Davis told KCBS Radio in an interview that he was surprised the lights have lasted even this long.
"San Francisco Bay is a harsh environment for electronics, there's high winds, there’s heavy rains or salty air, there's actually lightning strikes," he said, just a few of the elements affecting the lights.
The lights were turned off because the display was failing faster than they could be replaced, which is an expensive process.
The nonprofit is working to raise $11 million to refurbish the lights.
Right now, according to Davis, they are more than halfway to their goal.
If the funding is found, the plan is to install 50,000 custom LEDs, which would make the display more visible and last longer.
In the meantime though, the lights still up may remain on, as the off switch is no longer functioning properly.
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