The second of two arches that will become the new Broadway Bridge was moved into position Friday morning, offering the best look so far of what the new span will look like with less than four months until it's scheduled to open to traffic.
An effort the department called a "delicate choreography of barges and towboats" started around 7 a.m, though it wasn't until after 10 a.m. that towboats started to nudge the arch west down the river. It was pushed into its approximate place after 11:30 a.m., though final adjustments were expected to take longer.
Lifelong Little Rock resident Bobby Walker said he came to take photos of the process from the Main Street bridge because of how historic the project is.
"You don't see this every day," Walker said. "It might not happen again for another 100 years."
Walked likes the clean design of the new span and said he grew up appreciating the old structure. He was out snapping photos on the day the original bridge was scheduled to collapse and was impressed with how the span withstood the detonation and refused to fall.
"That bridge did not want to die," Walker said.
The work Friday was delayed after uncertainties related to the detonation of a footing that supported the old bridge.
[BROADWAY BRIDGE: Live feed of construction work + previous stories, countdown clock, videos and more]
Initial reports indicated that explosives did not fully remove the footing and break it into manageable pieces underwater, according to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
Further investigation determined that the footing explosives did detonate properly, but the resulting debris didn't disperse as planned. Instead, the footing separated into large pieces that remained in place. Additional equipment was taken to the job site and used to clear the debris pile to a depth that would allow placement of the second arch.
The new Broadway Bridge must be open to traffic by midnight March 29, 117 days from Friday.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Noel Oman and Arkansas Online reporter Emma Pettit contributed to this story.