“This bridge and this light structure is going to be the heartbeat of the city,” JP Conte said in an interview with ABC7.
He was standing near the Bay Bridge on March 20, 2026, when 48,000 LEDs lit up 1.8 miles of the northern cable plane for the first time since the original system went dark. JP Conte had funded the first installation in 2013 and came back to fund the $11 million rebuild.
What Was the Bridge Before the Lights?
Ben Davis, founder of the nonprofit Illuminate (illuminate.org), once called the Bay Bridge “a Cinderella bridge” that was “overlooked and underloved”. The western span is officially named for former Mayor Willie L. Brown, whose 92nd birthday fell on the night of the Grand Lighting.
For decades, the Bay Bridge lived in the shadow of the Golden Gate. Commuters used it; tourists ignored it.
What Does the New System Deliver?
Musco Lighting, an Iowa-based firm, engineered 48,000 custom LEDs with a 10-year warranty. Artist Leo Villareal programmed the light patterns using algorithms that respond to traffic, weather, and motion.
Crews installed the system during overnight shifts across three to four months. The new system nearly doubles the original LED count of 25,000.
How Does JP Conte Define Civic Giving?
“Supporting The Bay Lights has always been about investing in the soul of San Francisco,” JP Conte told FAD Magazine (fadmagazine.com/2026/03/…).
JP Conte is managing partner of Lupine Crest Capital, a family office, and a member of the Forbes Business Council. The project received zero taxpayer funding. JP Conte was among the earliest to commit to the rebuild., with more than 1,300 private donors contributing to the $11 million rebuild. JP Conte’s professional background reflects years of sustained investment in both business and civic causes.
JP Conte was there at the start and there at the restart. Few funders can say that about the same public artwork, as his SF Weekly profile makes clear.
