Demolition videos are always fun, especially when it comes complete with a big splash and some waves. The Old Hulton Bridge, a 107 year old structure that connected Pittsburgh, PA suburbs Oakmont and Harmarville across the Alleghany River, went out with a splash, as it was imploded and landed into the river below.
The New Hulton Bridge, the old one’s replacement, has already completed construction and the demolition was the final piece to that project. The new bridge was constructed only feet away from the old, making a precise demolition even more important. PennDOT Executive Dan Cessna told the local CBS news station that imploding the bridge was the plan all along, and they factored that into the design of the new bridge. No structural damage was found on the new bridge, only scratches in the paint from shrapnel and the new bridge reopened within an hour.
150 pounds of dynamite and 51 charges in total were needed to bring down the old 2 lane bridge. Crews set up a 1,000 foot safety radius until just shortly after the implosion was complete.
The first video below, by allhd, shows the implosion in real time, the second, by Margin Walker, is at 50% speed so you can get a better look at the explosions.
Full story: Implosion Marks End Of 107-Year-Old Hulton Bridge | CBS Pittsburgh
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.