According to the Little Rock website, the Big Dam Bridge is, at 4,226 feet, the longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge in North America that was built specifically for that use. It is the only bridge built into a dam, Murray Lock and Dam, rather than built on top of it, thus earning its name “The Big Dam Bridge.” At its peak, the bridge rises 90 feet above the Arkansas River, connects over 14 miles of scenic riverside trails in the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock, and assists in the connection of 70,000 acres of various city, county, state and federal park land. The bridge is certainly a well visited attraction, and it seems there are people there no matter how early in the morning I arrive.
If there is one thing that draws attention, especially at night or early morning, it is the bridge’s LED lighting display that occurs after dark. The bridge contains 160 LED light fixtures on the piers, 16 LED light fixtures on the towers and 63 light fixtures on the walkway. It is programmed with several different lighting displays and sometimes has special programs for holidays. It is really something to see.
The morning I captured this image, I was a “reluctant tag-along” with my wife. She was planning to meet up with her workout group, and she asked if I would like to go. Being very health-conscious myself, I said no. “Well, you could go take pictures while I work out,” she countered. “Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea,” I thought. The next morning, I loaded up my gear, and we got to the bridge around 6:30 in the morning. In all honesty, I don’t think my wife had that early of an arrival time in mind, but she was a good sport about it nonetheless.
Arriving at the bridge, I noticed that a new lighting system had been installed since my last visit. This new system illuminated the bridge in a variety of different colors that changed every 20 to 30 seconds, and I thought the lights would make for some interesting photographs. I just had to find an interesting perspective.
Grabbing my equipment, I began making my way from the parking lot toward the riverbank (with my wife deciding she would stay in the truck) and discovered two things. First, it was darker than I had anticipated it would be. Second, a thick cloud layer covered the sky which all but negated my chances of getting the nice sunrise images I had planned. As I scrambled over the large rocks and boulders to get to the riverbank, I found the clouds offered one advantage: they reflected enough light from the bridge to allow me to somewhat see where I was stepping so I didn’t break a leg.
I got several nice images that morning with the bridge lit with different colors, but this is probably my favorite. I like the repeating patterns created by the brightly lit support columns and the lights of the lamps along the top of the bridge and the soft, light purple lighting that is illuminating the support columns and how those colors were reflected by the river in the foreground.
While I didn’t get the sunrise shots I had hoped for, all in all, the trip was a success. I got some really nice images, and my wife was able to meet up with her exercise group and work out like she wanted.
A win-win situation!