6th Street Viaduct

On July 9, the people of Los Angeles finally celebrated the opening of the new Sixth Street Viaduct that connects the Arts District on the west side of the Los Angeles River with the historic Boyle Heights neighborhood on the east.

Spanning 3,500 feet above the L.A. River, the new bridge replaces the 1932 viaduct of the same name which was demolished in 2016 when the City’s Bureau of Engineering deemed it “seismically unsound.”

Urban lighting pioneer Leni Schwendinger created the lighting design for the new roadway, but it was the job of Forman and Associates who took this innovative lighting design and made it a reality.

With creative product recommendations, they not only matched Leni’s rendering, but also met the challenge of using the structure and design of the bridge itself to create a what is now known as the “Ribbon of Light.”

The “Ribbon” consists of ten soaring arches that line the roadway on either side. Color Kinetics ColorReachPowercore gen 2, RGBW are placed at the base of each arch, directing light up from both ends of the arch.

In a true stroke of genius, Forman recommended the use of Color Kinetics’ eW Graze QLX Powercore, 4000 K, 10 ° x 60 ° exterior linear luminaires to deliver street lighting. Normally used for lighting walls, these fixtures eliminate the need for traditional street lighting mounted on poles, which would disrupt the architecture of the bridge. Shorter versions of the same luminaire 4000 K 30 ° x 60 °, 610 mm (2 ft) (1,012 pcs) illuminate the sidewalks.