Bay Bridge lights

The Bay Bridge will never win a beauty contest against the Golden Gate, but for the next two years, it gets to set aside its inferiority complex for several hours each night while it's lit by the glow of 25,000 twinkling LED lights.

Each night between dusk and 2 a.m., the lights will appear to move along the north-side cables of the 1.8-mile span in patterns and sequences generated by artist Leo Villareal via programmed computers located in the central anchor of the bridge.

For the past several months, crews worked from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to string LEDs on cables 525 feet above the water, installing about 500 lights per shift.

So far, organizers have raised about $6 million to cover the costs, which include a little over $15 per night in electricity. The project was the brainchild of Ben Davis, a creative consultant, who pitched the idea as a gift to the community, and organized by Illuminate the Arts, a San Francisco nonprofit that promotes public art programs. The effort required a wide range of permits and cooperation from Caltrans, the Coast Guard and even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.