Rockne Kreb’s Miami Line Light Sculpture is Partially Re-lit

May 18, 2016

Miami Line Lighting Phase I. Photo by Lucas Lechuga.

The Miami Line, a rainbow neon strip running along the Metrorail’s Miami River bridge which was for years an iconic part of the Miami nighttime skyline, has been partially re-lit in LED lights, after going dark a few years ago. Light artist Rockne Krebs created it when the Metrorail first opened in 1984, and it proved so popular that over the years The Miami Line has appeared in everything from Miami Vice to postcards of Miami, says the Miami New Times, which recently explored the history of the piece. Due to the delicacy of the neon tube medium, and the frequency and difficulty of repairs the pieced needed over the years, in 2013 the county’s Art in Public Places program said they would convert it to much more durable LED. Although completion was slated by 2014, it didn’t happen until 2016, and about 1,390 feet of the sculpture remains in the dark. According to Troy Taylor, VP of the Riverfront Master Association, the rest is hopefully coming in two future phases that have yet to be budgeted. As of now, however, the line goes halfway across the Miami River, then basically stops.