Skip to main content

VIDEO: explosive demolition of Bridge to Long Island in US

March 24, 2015
Explosives were used successfully in the US to demolish the Long Island Bridge. The structure formerly provided a connection to Squantum's Long Island, however it had fallen into disrepair and a decision was made to remove the structure. A section of the Long Island Bridge was demolished by a specialist contractor. This saw the implosion of a229m section of the structure connecting with the island.

The 7007 US Coast Guard was keen to maximise safety by establishing a 305m exclusion zone. This lay between Moon Island and Long Island. Coast Guard units and police ensured boaters kept a safe distance from the danger zone.

The demolition targeted three sections of the bridge, each of which was 76m long. This demolition followed on from earlier work last month to remove other sections of the defunct structure.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • High speed bridge demolition minimises disruption
    February 16, 2012
    A high speed bridge demolition project has been carried out successfully in Germany. Speed was of the essence as the bridge spanned an important road link and had to be removed in a tight time frame, minimising disruption to traffic.
  • High speed bridge demolition minimises disruption
    April 13, 2012
    A high speed bridge demolition project has been carried out successfully in Germany. Speed was of the essence as the bridge spanned an important road link and had to be removed in a tight time frame, minimising disruption to traffic.
  • Kentucky’s 1931 Ledbetter road Bridge comes to an explosive end
    October 1, 2014
    Specialist demolition contractors working for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have successfully brought down one truss span of the Old Ledbetter Bridge near Paducah. The bridge has been taking traffic across the Mississippi River since 1931. Boat traffic on the Tennessee River was halted for about 90 minutes by the U.S. Coast Guard. KYTC said there were several audible warning signals, then a countdown, followed by a flash and puff of smoke from the explosive charges. As sound of the explosion echoed a
  • Long reach equipment simplifies demolition
    February 14, 2012
    Demolition is a highly specialised business, as the machinery required to carry out the work on high-rise demolition contracts can be very site specific. Today's high reach demolition rig is no longer simply a tracked excavator with a long boom, indeed some machines cannot be used as excavators at all. Likewise a machine that is dedicated to carrying a 2.5 or 3tonne shear or hammer will need to be built to take the stresses and strains of demolition life.