This is not good, kids. Matier & Ross are reporting today on "hundreds" of those little LED lights that are part of the Bay Lights display that are stuck in either the on or off position, sullying the effect of the dancing light show. The reason may be weather, or the impacts of the salty air on the little mechanisms, which doesn't bode well for the proposed two-year lifespan of the installation.
See a photo here, from SFist's own Brock Keeling, of one broken column of lights, stuck in the on position.
In total there are 25,000 LED lights installed on the bridge's cables, so the percentage of broken ones right now is small, and the nightly show is still looking mostly OK. However it's looking more and more like some early repairs may need to take place, or there may be a need for a system for replacing individual lights sooner than anticipated. This is bad news for organizers who are still $1.5 million short in raising funds for the maintenance of the Bay Lights through March 2015, because presumably this means that even more money will be needed. There's no word yet on if or when the installation may need to be shut off for repairs.
If you haven't already, check out this pretty HD video, shot via helicopter, of the Bay Lights shortly after their installation in March.
