ALLEGHENY COUNTY OFFICIALS RECENTLY PREVIEWED PROGRAMMABLE LED LIGHTS THAT HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ON THE RACHEL CARSON BRIDGE. THEMED LIGHTING IS ALSO BEING ADDED TO THE TWO REMAINING SISTER BRIDGES — THE ANDY WARHOL AND ROBERTO CLEMENTE BRIDGES — IN TIME FOR LIGHT UP NIGHT. | PHOTOS BY DAVE DICELLO

Three of Pittsburgh’s iconic bridges are going to be hard to miss, especially at night.

More than 601,000 lights will illuminate the Andy Warhol, Rachel Carson and Roberto Clemente bridges that stretch across the Allegheny River at Sixth, Seventh and Ninth streets, connecting Downtown to the North Shore.

The lights, which will be on from dusk to midnight, come on the heels of the $75 million rehabilitation of the Sister Bridges that began in 2016. The Clemente Bridge is still undergoing renovations and is slated to reopen in December.

County officials recently previewed four of eight possible light shows – default white and blue lights, black and gold for Pittsburgh sporting events, yellow lights that brighten like a sunrise and red, white and blue for national holidays. Other themes for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Juneteenth, among other holidays, are also planned.

“The purpose of the enhanced lighting is to accentuate the historic significance and unique architecture of the Sister Bridges, and you’ll see that it does exactly that,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “The lighting also helps us promote the region, state and federal holidays, and other public events of community significance where we are on a national stage.”

Constructed in the late 1920s, the bridges were the first self-anchored suspension bridges in the country. They are also among the few identical bridges in the world that are located within blocks of each other.

The county hopes the lights will become major tourist attractions like the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia or the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connecting New York City to Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The $6 million investment will likely be ready for Light Up Night on Nov. 18, though finishing touches are still being added to the Clemente and Warhol bridges.

Funding for the project was paid for with 80% from the Federal Highway Administration, 15% from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and 5% from Allegheny County. The county is responsible for all operating costs.

Work is being completed by crews with Mosites Construction and Development Co., general contractor; Thoroughbred Construction Group, light installation; Integrated Theater Systems, light design and programming; and Michael Baker International, design of the Clemente Bridge rehab project.