June 8, 2016 - With the Hernando DeSoto Bridge in the background, Makehn Allen (left) and Allen Powell skip rocks from the boat ramp on the north side of Mud Island. Thanks to a $12 million donation to the city, the Hernando DeSoto Bridge will get the same treatment as the nearby Harahan Bridge: Colored floodlights. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

The Hernando DeSoto Bridge leading to the home of the blues could itself be blue soon. Or pink. Or the Memphis Grizzlies' team colors of blue and gold.

The Downtown Memphis Commission plans to replace all 196 of the aging light bulbs that outline the iconic "M" of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge with new color-optional LED lighting early next year, similar to its plans for lighting the Harahan Bridge.

The city will keep the lights white at first, but could eventually decide to add a splash of color, Public Works Director Robert Knecht said Wednesday, a day after the City Council agreed to accept up to $12 million in private donations for the lighting projects.

Who would make the decisions about what colors would be on display is still an open question, he said.

"Obviously, whoever gets tasked with maintaining and operating those (lights) will have to ultimately work out something," he said. "And I'm sure the city will be part of that, and making sure that we're doing something important to the city."

The burden for managing the lights could fall to the DMC, which is overseeing both the installation of color-optional LED flood lights on the Harahan and the replacement of lighting on the Hernando DeSoto. The commission is already committed to covering the Harahan's maintenance costs using the $12 million in donations still being collected by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.

DMC President and CEO Terence Patterson wasn't available for comment.

The lighting for the Harahan Bridge is part of the $17.5 million renovation of the bridge, which will be known as Big River Crossing, for pedestrian and bike paths. The grand opening of the bridge, which is north of the I-55 bridge, is set for Oct. 22.

The renovation is part of the $43 million Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector project in Downtown, and isn't connected to the lighting replacement project on the Hernando DeSoto.

Knecht said the color of the lights for both bridges would normally be white, but could change for special events or holidays. A charge for private requests — like team colors — could offset utility costs.

"We've talked about a permitting process," he said. "People can request it, or we only allow it for certain dates. The donors have been very specific about the fact that they won't want it to be overly used. For the majority of the year, they want it to be very plain, white, classic lighting."

But an occasional splash of color could boost the city's attraction to tourists, he added.

"They're positive for the Memphis skyline, and are things that people will really come to appreciate once they're in place and they're up and working," he said of the LED lights.

The city currently pays $50,000 per year for utilities for the Hernando DeSoto, but could pay half that once the 78-watt bulbs are replaced by the LED lights. He estimated the replacement cost at about $2 million, and said the LED lights would likely have a 10-year warranty.

But, regardless of color, the "M" will remain firmly perched atop the bridge, he said.

"That's not going away at this point," he said. "That's a significant part of the Memphis skyline."