New York bridge implodes to make room for new overpass

A bridge was imploded in High Falls, New York, to make way for a new and improved structure, a report by the Daily Freeman News says. The new bridge is expected to cost $12.4 million.

The new bridge, according to the report, is set to open June 30 and will include better views, a pedestrian pathway and less steel superstructure.

The old bridge was construction in 1931 and renovated in 1986, the report says. It carried a daily traffic volume of 4,112 vehicles, was 267 feet long and 22 feet wide. The decision to demolish the bridge came after the state’s Department of Transportation inspected it and declared it was functionally obsolete, according to the report.

The bridge was shut down on Jan. 3 to prepare for the implosion. The new construction is one of 100 bridges being replaced under a $542 million statewide infrastructure project, the report says. More than 50 of the projects have been completed.

Watch a video of the implosion below.