THE HISTORY OF THE TEXAS STREET BRIDGE
"Originally constructed in 1934, the cantilever-through-truss bridge underwent major rehabilitation fifty years later. Rockne Krebs, notable pioneer light artist and sculptor, came up with the bright idea of creating a laser sculpture of brilliant neon lights and fiber-optics cables that at night transform a functional bridge into a majestic work of public art. Boasting more than seven thousand feet of neon, the Texas Street Bridge Lighting Project is the largest neon sculpture in the United States.
The Red River, known for changing course and forming new channels, is an important area waterway that begins in eastern New Mexico and winds its way through Louisiana, picking up iron oxide-rich alluvial soil (giving the river its reddish appearance and name) before finally emptying into the mighty Mississippi River."
Stuart, Bonnye E. Louisiana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff, 2012.
1993 Neon Bridge Design by Rockne Krebs
Photo by Neil Johnson
