You may have noticed the lights were off on the Aerial Lift Bridge on Wednesday Night. Several locals took to Twin Ports area Facebook groups asking why the always-lit structure was dark. While not highly publicized, the reason for the structure going dark was because city staff were replacing the high-pressure sodium lights with LED lights.

The sodium lights, which have been used for years, gave the bridge the amber-colored hue we've grown used to every night. While structure itself is gray, locals and visitors alike have just accepted the amber tone as the norm during nighttime. The change to longer-lasting, more energy-efficient LED lights brings with it an unintended change - a change in color.

White LED lights tend to skew toward blue on the light spectrum, which is the same reason you hear about blue light in relation to phone, tablet, and computer screens. This tendency also brings a pretty stark change to the Canal Park skyline. Beside the blueish-white hue, the LED lights are also appear a little more intensely bright up close, making it appear a little better-lit than it used to be - again, up close. I had the chance to also look at the bridge from the Enger Tower area, and the level of light looks about the same as it used to be - just in a different hue.

So, what do you think of the "new normal" for the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge?

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