Lighting designer Harry Gladow designed the project and a 50 ton crane was hired to do the install. The inauguration was begun with the firing of a signal pistol by Mr. Arias Cardenas. This started a one minute light show, ending with the Venezuelan flag painted on the bridge by the Exterior 600, and a 4 minute firework show in the middle of the lake. Cameras and screens were placed at the Maracaibo city waterfront, accompanied by local live music, turning the event into a local celebration. On the bridge the traffic was jammed for several hours, and emotions ran high everywhere. Even restaurants were packed for the event. The show was broadcast on local and national television. Besides the Venezuelan press, representatives from the international press including CNN and AP were present.

The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge over Lake Maracaibo in Zulia, Venezuela is not only an impressive structure in its physical sense, it stands as a patriotic symbol of pride for Venezuelans.

As part of a Tourist Development Master Plan, Martin Professional distributor Audio Concept supplied 96 Martin Exterior 600 luminaires to illuminate the bridge. The goal of the project was to beautify the bridge in order to encourage tourism in the State of Zulia while enhancing the splendor of the shores of the longest lake in Latin America. The Martin ProScenium, a PC-based Multimedia Lighting Controller, commands the Exterior 600 fixtures.

Governor Guzman Valero, accompanied by other dignitaries, magically switched on the new lights at the official opening on May 1 as crowds gathered everywhere in the City of Maracaibo to watch the spectacle. The most important architectural lighting project in Latin America was alight as the six main pillars of the bridge reached into the nighttime Venezuelan sky, color wash changes occurring only split seconds apart. Prior to the inauguration, as tests were being run, the bridge was lit with the colors of the Venezuelan flag, much to the delight of onlookers.

• Official name: “Puente General Rafael Urdaneta”
• Location: 14 kilomteres from the city of Maracaibo across the lake of Maracaibo
• Built from 1959 - 1962, opened in 1962
• Longest bridge in Latin America: 8,671 meters, and said to be the longest concrete bridge in the world
• Owned by the state government of Zulia, but operated as an autonomous institution
• Average daily traffic: 37,000 vehicles
• Average monthly income: 300 million Bolivares equals or some $400,000