The bridge over river Kwai may have made history, but this bridge over the Cooum in Chennai isn’t far from it either…

Almost anyone living in Chennai knows the scalloped Napier Bridge, spanning the river Cooum. But how many have seen its’ new avatar? Special lighting has transformed this bridge into an ethereal bridge, which now seems magically afloat! The lighting has been designed by the Sydney-based Lighting Design Partnerships, at a whopping cost of Rs. 1.62 crores.

The 464 light bulbs have been cleverly placed under the arches, road surface, the pedestrian walkways and at strategic points under the bridge to create the illusion of a bridge afloat. This is perhaps the first project of this magnitude in the country and it also uses energy efficient systems in order to reduce costs. When lit at night, the Napier Bridge creates magical reflections and radiates a three dimensional effect. The lighting fixtures and bulbs used are especially designed to withstand the high salt content in the sea breeze.

The fixtures used include LED lamps, surface mounted flood lights and metal-halide. These have been deftly combined with coloured lighting and glass filters, all of which is controlled by a heat / weather resistant controller.

Care has been taken to not cause any surface damage to this landmark structure, dating back to 1869, erected by Charles Napier, the then Governor of Fort St. George. The bridge spans 149 meters and boasts of characteristic bowstring arches.