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Last updated on Monday, October 19, 2015
(NEWBERRY) - Thursday morning a controlled explosion sent the Newberry truss bridge to watery grave.
At 9:55 a.m. officials with the Department of Transportation set off the explosion that ripped apart the 74-year-old structure. What was left behind was a tangled and twisted mass of steel and concrete stretching from one riverbank across to the other.
After the truss bridge was in the water, INDOT workers inspected the span of the new bridge for damage and debris caused by the explosion which was just feet away.
Within 15 minutes of laying the truss bridge to rest, traffic was allowed to return back to normal.
The Greene County Daily World reports, residents of the small Greene County community had mixed feelings about the demolition. Some wished to see it remain and be used as a tourist focal point for Newberry, an interesting reminder of days gone by and a history lesson to younger generations. Others commented on the impact the demolition would have on the endangered Indiana Brown Bats that made the underside of the truss bridge home. One thing everyone there could agree on was they were ready to resume travel in and out of town without the stoplights that have controlled traffic across the river for the previous seven years.
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