Ringling Bridge: Greatest Light Show On Sarasota Bay

SARASOTA, FL — As if the stunning sunsets and sunrises weren't enough, the iconic Ringling Bridge now boasts the greatest show on Sarasota Bay with a colorful new light show.

State highway officials are set to take the wraps off a $178,000 lighting upgrade on Thursday that will allow the bridge to turn any color in the spectrum high above Sarasota Bay.

"The wide faces of all columns will be illuminated by floodlighting fixtures mounted to the underside of the bridge, washing along the height of each column, fading out as it gets toward the water line," explained the Florida Department of Transportation. "Color-changing lighting will provide a majestic enhancement to the iconic bridge."

The city of Sarasota's Jan Thornburg told Patch that the bridge is named after circus magnate John Ringling, who founded the Ringling Brothers Circus and acquired Barnum and Bailey.

"John Ringling enjoyed spending winters in Sarasota," she said. "He was the visionary who connected mainland Sarasota over Sarasota Bay to the barrier islands and planned the development of St. Armands Circle."

Brian Ross Rick of the Florida Department of Transportation added that the new lights are controlled by a photoelectric sensor, similar to street lights.

"The lights should be on from dusk to dawn each night," he said.

Highway officials replaced 60 lighting fixtures on all 10 columns of the bridge. Work began in June and is scheduled to be completed on Thursday. The lighting is intended to create a similar look and feel to bridges in Jacksonville, Miami, Pensacola and Tampa.

"The Florida Department of Transportation opted to provide Sarasota County residents and visitors with a breathtaking upgrade to new color LED technology that is more reliable and uses much less power," state highway officials explained. "One 'animated program' can slowly transition from one color to another, in a similar fashion to the downtown Tampa bridges."

The current iteration of the Ringling Bridge was built in 2003 with white decorative lights to showcase the underside columns of the bridge. The 65-foot tall span connects Sarasota to St. Armands Key and Lido Key.

"After 16 years in the corrosive salt water environment, the original light fixtures degraded and had to be replaced," said state highway officials.