‘Trenton Makes’ bridge sign getting makeover for 100th anniversary

TRENTON — A Pennsylvania company has been awarded a contract to give the well known "Trenton Makes The World Takes" sign on the bridge crossing the Delaware River a modern makeover.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced on Monday that Car & Duff, Inc., of Huntingdon Valley, will be paid no more than $647,000 to install LED color-changing lights on the Lower Trenton Toll-Supported Bridge this year.

According to the commission the upgrade coincides with the 100th anniversary of bridge's sign. The project will include removing the red neon tubes and the electrical power supply that were installed in 2005.

"We expect this technological upgrade will have an exponentially longer service life while being more reliable in all of kinds of weather conditions and reducing energy consumption costs in the process," Commission Executive Director Joe Resta said.

The lights themselves will stay the same, but will be cleaned and re-painted. The commission said the letters each stand more than 9 feet high which will now have a new color-changing LED strip and new power supply components.

In addition to being more environmentally friendly with a longer usage life the commission said the new lights will allow the bridge to be illuminated in different colors for holidays and other special events. Resta said that could include alternating red, white, and blue for Fourth of July, green for St. Patrick's Day, or pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month among others.

The commission expects the work to start in July and be done by the fall. The letters will not be lit during the work and drivers could experience lane shifts and other traffic issues while the work is underway. Pedestrian access is not expected to be affected by the work.

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Contact reporter Adam Hochron at 609-359-5326 or Adam.Hochron@townsquaremedia.com