BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Pigeons scattered and several hundred people watched Monday when a 450-foot section of a historic Missouri River bridge was blown up to make way for a new span.
The 86-year-old Liberty Memorial Bridge was the first on the river designed for automobiles, and the first permanent span across the river in North Dakota, state officials said. The lifespan of the bridge was estimated at 50 years.
It has been replaced by a new $60 million bridge just south measuring 2,369 feet. The new bridge opened for traffic July 31.
Heidi Currie, who grew up in Bismarck, filmed the demolition to show her son, who had to work.
"It's a little bit sad," she said. "It was a nice little bridge." |