Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge

The Challenge

The City of Des Moines installed the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge in 2010 to celebrate historical Iowa women’s contributions to the local, national, and global community. The bridge had previously been lit by banks of white lights that were a frequent target for vandals. The old lights’  location over rushing water a short distance from a dam made it unsafe to service the fixtures, requiring the entire bridge to be turned off multiple times in 2021. City leaders needed a new lighting solution that would be easily accessible for maintenance as well as able to focus light exclusively on the bridge’s underside and support cables.

The Solution

The City of Des Moines reached out to Musco Lighting, with which it had partnered to light its Fifth Street Bridge in 2016. Leaders determined that Musco’s exceptional spill and glare control could focus light on the bridge’s underside and cables while avoiding disturbing neighbors, and that its color-changing LED technology would make the bridge even more of a focal point of the city. Musco also engineered custom fixture mounts with pivoting arms that can be easily raised and lowered, an Electronic Components Enclosure located remotely for easy access, and custom controls for simplified on/off and nightly scheduling of colored light scenes. Musco’s parts and labor warranty eliminates maintenance on the system for the next 10 years.