Famous Harlem viaduct to get lights

Mathews Nielsen Both the viaduct at 12th Ave. and 125th St. (pictured bottom) and the structure under the elevated Subway train tracks at Broadway and W. 125th St. (pictured top) will be illuminated with LED lights as part of a $ 14.5 million project commissioned by the city Economic Development Corporation.

McDonald’s won’t have the only well-lit arches on 125th St.

A famous West Harlem viaduct that has long served as a backdrop for films including “The Amazing Spider-Man” is going to bask in the glow of its own spotlight.

LED lights will be installed under the 12th Ave. viaduct at W. 125th St. as part of the $ 14.5 million streetscape enhancement project commissioned by the city Economic Development Corp.

“We’re going to mount lights to the structure so that we can illuminate it,” said Signe Nielsen, the principal of Mathews Nielsen Architect. “It will certainly celebrate its grandeur. It’s like a cathedral. It’s really an elegant space.”

She said a dozen white lights will be installed inside the cages of the arching steel structure.

“It will really make a feature of that intersection,” she added, noting the enhancement was commissioned for aesthetics more than safety.

The improvements are intended to create connections between the various forms of transportation — subway, bus, bikes, and pedestrian — while promoting a vibrant street life on W. 125th St., oficials said.

The viaduct — which serves as a part of Riverside Dr. — has provided a setting for numerous music videos including Lady Gaga’s “Marry the Night,” and films like “Sugar Hill.”

Noonan, Jeanne Freelance NYDN The 12th Ave. viaduct at W. 125th St. will have lights installed as part of a $ 14.5 million streetscape enhancement project.

Bright lights are also on the way for the steel arches under the elevated subway tracks at Broadway and W. 125th St., Nielsen said.

A pole with a dozen lights will be installed at the intersection, and every time a train pulls into the station the lights will turn blue.

“When a train is about five blocks away in either direction, there will be a track trigger,” Nielsen said. “It will trigger the [blue] light to fan across the arch.”

The project, which will make street enhancements from Old Broadway to the Hudson River, will also expand sidewalks, improve street lighting and plant trees.

The construction on the project began recently and is scheduled to be completed in numerous phases, Nielsen said.

She expected the lights to be installed toward the end of the project, which is slated to finish in 2016.

mfeeney@nydailynews.com

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