Boom! Final Section Of Blanchette Bridge Blasted For Rehab Project

St. Louis Public Radio

Published Dec. 4, 2012 at 2:41 p.m. CST

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(via St. Louis Public Radio Flickr Group/User atomic playboy)

A big explosion has sent the final two sections of the westbound Blanchette Bridge into the Missouri River.

Crews used explosives Tuesday to take down the sections of the bridge that connects St. Louis and St. Charles counties along Interstate 70. The work is part of a $63 million rehabilitation project.

How big was the explosion? Judge for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqwu96Cj2HI&feature=share&list=UUACRDj-pHTdEI4Uvtp7trjA

The westbound span closed Nov. 4 and will reopen next fall. For now, all traffic has been rerouted to the eastbound span.

About 1,000 people gathered to watch the bridge explosion. About 4.5 million pounds of steel dropped into the river, creating waves that crashed into the riverbank.

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