Kentucky’s 1931 Ledbetter road Bridge comes to an explosive end

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
October 1, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
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 along the river banks, KYTC said the steel truss dropped into about 30 feet (10m) of water below the bridge.

Once an all-clear was issued, river traffic was allowed to resume and a crane was moved in to start pulling steel from the river. The constractor believes it should take about 48 hours to remove the steel and place it on barges to be hauled to a scrap yard.

See it happen on the video below, which was forwarded to World Highways by Demolition News website:
Road Structures Engines, Components & Tyres

Related Content

  • New bridge to replace old
    July 24, 2012
    Neckarauer overpass, a railroad bridge adjacent to the plant of German paving equipment manufacturer Vögele, is one of Mannheim's main traffic arteries. Built in 1936, the overpass represents an important link into the city for commuters coming from the south of the Rhine-Neckar region being used by some 60,000 vehicles/day, together with several tram lines running every five minutes. Corrosion has caused heavy damage to the steel girder bridge, and recently a 30km/hour speed limit has been in place along w
    Read More
  • Cleveland Bridge is all decked out on the England’s A14 scheme
    June 4, 2019
    As part of Highways England’s A14 upgrade project from Cambridge to Huntington, Cleveland Bridge installed two 1,050tonne pre-assembled bridge decks in just 11 hours. Months of detailed planning and client liaison ensured the 47.5m-long bridge decks, each containing 330tonnes of steel and 720tonnes of concrete, were successfully travelled to the site and lowered onto the abutments. On-site civil engineering works were undertaken by the A14 Integrated Delivery Team, a joint venture between Costain,
    Read More
  • Concerns over increased US road fatality rate in 2012
    November 25, 2013
    Data from the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that highway deaths increased to 33,561 in 2012, an increase of 1,082 over the figures for 2011.The official Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data reveals that the majority of the increase in deaths, some 72%, occurred in the first quarter of 2012. Most of those involved were motorcyclists and pedestrians. This newly released data marks the first increase in road related fatalities in the US
    Read More
  • Italian viaduct job for Conjet
    July 4, 2012
    The multi-span reinforced concrete viaduct at Torano, about 100km east of the Italian capital Rome, is a major structure on the main E80/A24/A25 Autostrada crossing central Italy. The Viadotto Fiume Salto was opened in the late 1960s, but the use of de-icing salts during winter months has since caused considerable calcium chloride damage to the structure forcing the Italian Highways Authority and the Autostrada di Parchi's owner Toto to carry out extensive repairs. The renovation estimated at around €5 mill
    Read More

Highlighted Content