VIDEO: More Broadway Bridge explosions set this weekend

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JOHN SYKES JR. Explosives charges Satruday took down most of the concrete arches on the Broadway Bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock. Workmen check out the one arch still standing after the detonation.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JOHN SYKES JR. Explosives charges Satruday took down most of the concrete arches on the Broadway Bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock. Workmen check out the one arch still standing after the detonation.

Another round of controlled explosions aimed at dismantling the remnants of the old Broadway Bridge is planned Sunday, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said.

The detonations set for 9 a.m. are intended to demolish two of the four remaining footings that supported the concrete arches. Blasts earlier this month took out the arches.

The footings have been drilled down so only about 1 foot remains above the water level with the detonations aimed at the structure below the surface, the agency noted.

"Since this is an underwater detonation, it is not likely to be a spectacular event; however, members of the public that wish to watch the demolition process are encouraged to do so from the banks of the Little Rock side of the Arkansas River," the highway department said in a news release.

[BROADWAY BRIDGE: Previous stories, videos of explosions, photos + countdown until new bridge opens]

The Broadway Bridge closed to traffic Sept. 28 and the demolition got underway almost immediately. The first detonation came Oct. 11, when explosives were used in a bid to break up the large steel arch on the southern half of the bridge.

That explosion didn't go according to plan, however, and the arch didn't fall until hours later when a pair of tug boats pulled down the weakened structure.

Another round of explosives took down the concrete arches, though again not all went as hoped. Only five of the six arches fell at first, and it took a hammering pneumatic ram to bring down the final one later that day.

Project contractor Massman Construction Co. of Kansas City, Mo. has 152 days remaining to remove the old Broadway Bridge and open the new one.

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