champlain bridge demolition and explosion video
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It’s not every day we blow up historic landmarks– especially ones that serve as key transportation links between two states. Planning has been underway for many years to replace the bridge, but that reconstruction was still several years away. But in October, an inspection of the bridge’s foundation revealed deep cracks in two of the concrete piers. Engineers quickly decided to close the bridge to all traffic and three weeks later state officials decided the bridge could not be repaired. And so this morning, they will demolish the Champlain Bridge.
The demolition will be carried out by a company from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, called Advance Explosives Demolition.
Crews have spent the past several days preparing the bridge for a controlled detonation; a series of small explosions that happen almost simultaneously and will “cut” the bridge into sections that will then drop into the lake.
The demolition will target the main central span, about 1,700 feet of the 2,200 foot bridge.
