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Route 52 Bridge, Ocean City, New Jersey

One of my favorite ways to enjoy bridges is to visit those that are lit with color-changing LED lights at night. One reason that many modern bridges are constructed of concrete arches, or are white in color, is that it turns the bridge into a perfect blank canvas for colored lighting. A recent example is the Route 52 Bridge in Ocean City, New Jersey. At two miles long, and with many curves and elevation changes, the play of lights on this serpentine structure is visible for miles around. The color schemes can be seasonal, such as slowly interchanging red and green lights on the piers of the Route 52 Bridge during Christmas time.

The bridge was a replacement of the original drawbridge constructed in 1932. The original plaques from the World War Memorial Bridge, one dated 1932 and the other 1933, have been preserved on the new bridge. The bridge has also converted the roof of the old drawspan control building into an attractive roof for an outdoor pavilion and has preserved the drawspan control panel in a small museum located on an island accessed by the bridge.

The designer of the bridge wrote the textbook on aesthetic bridge design, titled Bridgescapes, and was kind enough to provide a Foreword for my own book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.

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