135-Foot Yellow Bow on Coronado Bridge Will Hail Gulf Veterans

A giant yellow bow welcoming servicemen and women will be hung Friday morning from the center of the Coronado Bridge, closing one lane of westbound traffic, Caltrans officials said.

The right-hand lane of traffic will be closed until the bow is hung and anchored down to the bridge, said Steve Saville, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation.

It should take about 1 1/2 hours to hang and fasten the nylon bow, requiring the use of a crane and 15 people, said Robert Crowe, owner of Flag Masters, the Chula Vista company that designed and assembled the bow.

The ornament, which was made using 700 yards of fabric, measures 135-by-45 feet, with tails 115- and 120-feet long. The tails will be 40 feet across at their widest point, Crowe said.

The bow will be tied to both the concrete railing and the base of the bridge’s columns with a web of ropes and cables and special brackets.

Jim Larson, a Caltrans spokesman, said the bow will be attached to the center of the bridge, which is about 220 feet above the water. Winds can reach up to 40 m.p.h. at that height.

In order for the decoration to withstand the winds, it was designed with multiple vents to allow the air to pass through, said Crowe.

“It’s just basically a county spirit kind of thing. . . . It will take the place of all those small ribbons,” Crowe said. “Everybody can share in it.”

Lois Silva, originator and coordinator of the project, said more than a dozen business groups have contributed money, equipment or manpower totaling about $5,000.

She got the idea for the bow after seeing and hearing that other cities had attached large yellow ribbons to monuments and other public places.

“I thought, ‘San Diego has to have a big yellow bow somewhere, we’re a military town’ ” said Silva, who works in the payroll department of Western Lumber Co.

As plans to construct and install the bow developed, other organizations joined the project.

“The size of this is phenomenal” Silva said, referring to the enthusiasm and desire of businesses to participate.

Silva said that, wind permitting, the bow will remain on the bridge until July 4 as part of the celebrations for those returning from the Persian Gulf.