There are about two ways to bring down a structure: piece by piece or in a fiery blaze of destruction. The only problem with the second choice is that it’s typically followed by weeks, months, or even years of cleanup, but it makes for a great viewing experience.
The Saskatoon Traffic Bridge in, you guessed it, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, stood mightily for 108 long years. The 951 foot (289.8 meters) long bridge connected Victoria Avenue to 3rd Avenue across the South Saskatchewan River. In 2010, the Saskatoon Traffic Bridge was closed due to severe corrosion and will be replaced by a newer and larger bridge by 2018.
On Sunday, January 10th, demolition of the old Saskatoon Bridge began with a bang, or, multiple bangs, rather. Two of the bridge’s spans were located directly above dry land, so they were subject to implosion. The final span, which sits over the river, will be demolished at a later time. As the explosions went off in unison, the two spans fell straight down to the ground and were quickly covered by a cloud of smoke.
The video below, by EpicJib Aerial Media, shows the full speed implosion and the slow motion implosion right afterwards.
In November of last year, the 546 foot tall Mina Plaza in Abu Dhabi officially broke the world record for tallest demolition by explosion, supplanting Hudson Department Store in Detroit, Michigan, which held the record for 22 years.