Council OKs design concept of 22-foot, color-changing arches for downtown bridge
Just after the Wichita City Council approved the purchase of 13 public art sculptures at its meeting last week, the body took up a second public art project.
On Tuesday, March 3, the council voted 7-0 to approve the design of two glowing sculptures planned for the First Street Bridge over the Arkansas River, which has been closed for almost a month for a $14.1 million rebuild. The project should be completed at the end of 2027.
When finished, the bridge will have three lanes, on-street bike lanes, 11 feet-wide multi-use walkways on each side of the bridge, and connections to the bike paths along the Arkansas River. The plan for the project also includes a public art element.
At its meeting on March 2, the Wichita Design Council approved an artwork concept, which features two illuminated stainless steel archways, both about 22 feet high and 14 feet deep, that would be installed 210 feet apart on either side of the bridge. At night, the arches would be lighted by LED lights that could be programmed and changed for different events and seasons. During the day, they’d cast intricate shadows on the bridge.
The proposal for the sculptures was submitted by Cliff Garten Studio out of Venice, California — a firm that has won awards for some of its other public art pieces across the country, including a glowing bridge installation in Hillsboro, Oregon. The firm was chosen by a selection committee that reviewed 101 submissions from across the country.
“I think that the placement of these two arches are a really nice addition to the sight lines as you look at Douglas Street Bridge and the feather towers that are more towards the center of those bridges,” said the city’s public art manager, Jana Erwin, as she addressed the council last week. “These act as sort of bookmarks as you look southward down the river.”
The sculptures were “thematically inspired by the city’s deep relationship to water, its extraordinary aviation legacy and its renewed commitment to walkability and civic gathering,” Erwin said. The arches themselves are meant to evoke the design of various planes built in Wichita, including Stearman biplanes.
The art project, which would cost $600,000, includes curb seating and sculpted overlooks where people could stop and gaze at the river.
Now that the City Council has approved the design concept, it will be refined in collaboration with the artists and then will return to the Design Council for final approval.
Over the years, the First Street bridge’s underside and piers had degraded, the Department of Public Works & Utilities said during a November public information meeting. The city opted to replace the bridge rather than rehabilitate it.
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