Skip to main content

VIDEO: Broadway Bridge defies demolition experts, for a time

October 12, 2016
A 100-year old steel arch bridge in the United States stood firm for a time against the blasts laid down by demolition experts.

The structure connected the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock in the state of Arkansas. It carried U.S. Route 70 but was finally closed on 28 September.

Although Broadway Bridge, spanning the Arkansas River, was built almost a century ago, the steel arches were added 60 years later as part of a strengthening project to the under-structure to widen the river navigation channel.

Danny Straessle, spokesman for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, said the bridge was an example of just how tough many of the century-old bridges were.

Five hours after the explosions and shortly before 15:00 hours on 11 October, the weakened bridge finally gave up the ghost.

An %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal Arkansas Times report Visit www.arktimes.com website false http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2016/10/11/big-bang-on-broadway-set-for-10-am false false%>shows the remains of the bridge lying on its side in the river.

Related Content

  • India - road safety research
    July 4, 2016
    A new publication compiling research on road safety in India has now been compiled. This has been produced by an expert in the field, NS Srinivasan. The book is called, “Planning for the future – Solutions for India’s traffic problems” This publication contains 30 articles published during the past few years on the topic. This book is incorporated in the website and is available for the benefit of technical community. Other books included in the website are: “Taking the high road – Research on transport
  • VIDEO: Wrong way down a Chinese motorway
    April 19, 2016
    It takes courage to drive down the wrong side of a motorway and a lot of nerve. But this driver in China appears to have both in large quantities as he heads off on his journey. Apparently, his passenger is his equal when it comes to sangfroid. He even appears in camera shot with a big smile on his face. Luckily no crash took place. However, the video stops just before the taxi arrives at something in the road. Was it a road block? If that driving experience wasn’t too unsettling for anyone, then c
  • VIDEO: Never give a queen a lift
    May 27, 2016
    A driver in Wales drove around for a day with an estimated 20,000 unwelcome passengers until the problem got to be too evident. The video shows the car of the 65-year-old grandmother, finally parked in the small town of Haverfordwest, literally buzzing with bees. Apparently, a queen bee got stuck on the vehicle and her community decided to follow the car and stick to it as well. It took two members of the Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association, a park ranger and some local people to coax the travelers
  • Oregon’s electric vehicles cruise the West Coast Electric Highway
    December 3, 2014
    Many US states offer cash-back deals and tax breaks to encourage people to buy more electric vehicles. But Oregon has shunned financial incentives and opted to drive up EV sales through increasing the number of recharging stations.