Interstate 285 got a new $2 million night light on Wednesday.
That’s when the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority, which owns and runs the Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, lit its new LED sign at 7 p.m.
The screen is 25 feet tall and 48 feet across, which about doubles the size of the previous marquee.
The old sign was built in 2002, said Bob Voyles, a member of the Authority's board of directors. The new sign is brighter and has the ability to display moving images.
READ | Watch this sweet timelapse of how Cobb Galleria hosts events
This is right across from the Atlanta Braves’ new SunTrust Park.
The team's decision to move to Cobb County influenced Voyles and others on the board to install the new advertising feature, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when it was announced in January.
“Once the Braves deal was announced (we) wanted to employ the most current technology, we want to create the most iconic sign,” Voyles said at the time.
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But it was also practical.
The multi-million-dollar pedestrian bridge that links the Galleria to The Battery/SunTrust Park blocked the view of the old sign. The new digital sign starts at a higher elevation.
“The new sign establishes better line of sight and tech that’s 10 to 15 times better than what we had previously,” he said.
The money came from the Authority’s reserves, Voyles said.
The new sign has fiber optics behind glass panels that can be programmed to display different colors. A certain team’s red and blue might be in order come March.
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Here's an example of the type of events the Galleria hosts:
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