Bob Donaldson

A controlled explosion brought down the turnpike bridge over the Allegheny River

PG video: Blast drops bridge into the Allegheny River

With a thunderous boom, 200 pounds of explosives sliced apart the Pennsylvania Turnpike's old Allegheny River Bridge this morning, dropping it into the river.

The blast came at about 10:09, nearly on schedule.

Turnpike commission CEO Joe Brimmeier, who watched from the grounds of Oakmont Country Club, pronounced it a success.

Two sections of bridge not over the water will be blasted at the end of the month.

The 58-year-old bridge is being replaced by twin spans, one of which is open to traffic, with the other scheduled to open in November.

Turnpike traffic was halted about 5 minutes before the detonation and was allowed to move again at 10:27 a.m.

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