I get your point, but "most of the year" seems a bit extreme. It's maybe June-August where having no shade would be untenable for the vast majority of the time, and even then there are times when it isn't quite as hot, it's cloudy, etc., and also people don't just use it in the heat of the day... tons of people walk on the trails in the morning and in the evening when it could be used in the summer.
If the Gathering Place was open later I do think the bridge would have more utility. I think the lighting is actually a good thing because in the summer it makes it safer to use at night/early morning.
The bridge will primarily be used March - probably October and a handful of nice days during the colder months. So if you can't really use it during the middle of the day from mid-June to early September then you're losing the bridge's utility for a huge portion of the year.
When they picked the architect and bridge design I didn't think they'd ever add shading structures anyways. It doesn't fit the design aesthetic so it was more so a bait and switch on that particular amenity to get the other bridge torn down. Even if they were able to get the money for it a highly doubt any shading structures will ever be installed for aesthetic reasons.
I still wish this bridge was located at the northern entrance of the Gathering Place and was dedicated to bikes/runners and then kept the old bridge for passive users and just refurbish the decking, etc. as needed.
I'm at least glad they are adding some seating, lights, etc. overall it is better to have all that then not. The bridge will still get plenty of use from active users anyways.