SASKATOON – Phase two of the historic Traffic Bridge demolition went out with a bang Sunday. Saskatonians lined the south end of the Broadway Bridge to catch a glimpse of the early morning explosion.
Compared to phase one, only a quarter of the explosive charges were needed to take down the north end of the bridge, which allowed the south side to tip into the berm.
“The intent of today was to take down just the south side of that span to protect the riverside infrastructure, the retaining wall and walkways that are over there,” demolition project manager Dan Willems said.
Crews will now work to manually dismantle the bridge and begin the clean-up process.
“Over the next couple of weeks, the contractor will clean up the span that was taken down and then begin removal of the north berm that’s in place,” Willems said.
Get breaking National news
READ MORE: Saskatoon’s Traffic Bridge finished with a bang
Work has already began on the south end river pier, which is scheduled to be ready by the end of summer.
Project managers plan to have the north end of the bridge cleared by April, and won’t be demolishing the last part of the bridge until next winter. These plans are in order to accommodate summertime river traffic.
Comments