How light display of Jacksonville’s Acosta Bridge is chosen and the meaning behind them

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Have you noticed the many colors of Jacksonville’s Acosta Bridge? It lights up Jacksonville in a variety of colors every morning.

This week, it’s lit in purple for Women’s History Month.

Action News Jax’s Elizabeth Campbell took a look into who decides what color those lights will be and how they’re changed.

What she found was that many of the light patterns are requested by local nonprofit groups, and a lot of thought and work goes into the light patterns.

The pattern includes 177 LED energy-efficient lights.

The project cost $2.6 million, but now monthly bills are much cheaper.

“These lights allow us to create any color scheme we want essentially, so now we’re using it to highlight different observances, different holidays, to bring awareness to different causes, and it has really transformed our skyline,” David Cawton with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, said.

JTA told Campbell the lights are controlled remotely from just about anywhere, with something as simple as a laptop. When it isn’t controlled in the field, three computers are used at JTA’s skyway hub to create and change the bridge lights.

There are hundreds of colors to choose from. Schemes of three colors or less can take typically about an hour to create.

Every month, a JTA board approves and releases a schedule. If there’s a cause special to you, contact JTA by phone at 904-630-3100 or on its Facebook or Twitter pages.

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If you're in downtown Jacksonville this week, you may notice a purple glow. (Fred Ortyl - Jacksonville transportation Authority)

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