LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It turns out a 93-year-old bridge deemed structurally deficient wasn’t so weak after all.
Despite triggering explosives to bring down the Broadway Bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock on Tuesday, a demolition crew needed five hours to fell the structure. Severing the steel arch and bridge deck should have taken about 30 seconds.
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Arkansas highway department spokesman Danny Straessle says the blasts weakened the span, but parts of the bridge fell against themselves and none fell into the Arkansas River. Ultimately, crews attached a cable to the bridge and pulled it down.
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Three other implosions are planned during a six-month project to bring down the old bridge and put up a new one.
Workers have until Wednesday to remove steel from the water so barge traffic can resume.
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