By: Loretta A. Conley
On January 30, 2005, when Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn threw the switch and the lights sparkled for the first time on the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The Blue LED lamps that crown the bridge’s cables were provided by Southern California-located LEDtronics Inc., owned by Pakistani-American Pervaiz Lodhie.
Poised elegantly above the main channel of the Los Angeles Harbor, the Vincent Thomas Bridge serves a multitude of functions in the local community and beyond. It is the official welcoming monument for the City of Los Angeles. As the 3rd longest suspension bridge in California, behind the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. And, the Vincent Thomas Bridge plays an integral part in the economies of Los Angeles, Southern California and the United States as it is the main conduit through which goods flow from the Los Angeles Harbor to the nation’s network of highways and stores.
With the addition of its sparkling blue lights, the Vincent Thomas Bridge will undoubtedly enchant tourists and mariners alike to become an internationally recognizable icon for both the Los Angeles region and the harbor, encouraging tourism and commercial investment.
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