The Robert Stewart bridge in Columbus is now showing support for Ukraine in its battle against invading Russian forces.
On Monday, the bridge, which leads into downtown Columbus from the city’s west side, was lit up in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, joining cities around the world in showing support for the embattled country now it sixth day of war since Russia’s invasion last week.
“It has been done,” said city engineer Dave Hayward. “It’s just a question of whether it reads as yellow and blue, or green or some messy combination of those two colors.”
Hayward said he expects the colors to remain up until at least St. Patrick’s Day, though “we might continue it after that” depending on the level of local interest.
The effort was spurred by members of the community who reached out to Columbus City Councilwoman Grace Kestler, who said she passed the request on to the “appropriate individuals.” It is not usual for the bridge to be lit up in the colors of a foreign flag and may be the first time that has happened, except for Ethnic Expo, Hayward said.
“A few individuals in our community had reached out to me to ask if we could support Ukraine by turning the bridge the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and I thought that was an awesome idea,” Kestler said. “I just reached out to the appropriate individuals.”
The local effort comes as cities around the world are lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
In Europe, the Eiffel Tour in Paris, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the London Eye and Rome’s ancient Coliseum have all been illuminated in blue and yellow.
Several landmarks and local government buildings in the United States have joined in support, including the Empire State Building, Los Angeles City Hall, as well as landmarks in Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, among other places.
Even Niagara Falls and the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign on the Las Vegas Strip are set to blue and yellow.
The Ukrainian flag is made up of two equal bands of azure and golden yellow, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. The colors date back to medieval times, though it is now sometimes claimed that the flag represents grain fields under a blue sky.
Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat and its farms feed millions of people worldwide, according to The Associated Press.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its sixth day on Tuesday, with a huge convoy of Russian tanks and armored vehicles inching closer to the capital of Kyiv and fighting intensifying there and in other big cities, according to wire reports.
Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee.
“(City officials) were more than happy to find a way to change those lights and do that in support of Ukraine and show that our community is definitely thinking about those abroad,” Kestler said.
