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VIDEO: Kosciuszko Bridge demolished in big bang

October 1, 2017 By Paul Frangipane Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The old span of the Kosciuszko Bridge was officially demolished in a fiery explosion. Eagle photos by Paul Frangipane
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The original 78-year-old span of the Kosciuszko Bridge felled Sunday morning, sending a loud bang and grey smoke into the air as spectators cheered and photographed the controlled implosion.

Three blow horn sirens wailed into the morning before the historic bridge was engulfed in smoke in seconds and its destruction was met with applause.

The former bridge’s main span was lowered onto the creek on July 25 and 26 and shipped out to a recycling facility, leaving a gaping hole next to the bridge’s new span for months.

The rusty remaining 22 million pounds of steel were brought down in the implosion to be collected and sent to be recycled as scrap metal, according to a statement.

The work is part of the $873 million project to replace the often traffic-plagued bridge with two new cable-stayed bridges, carrying traffic in opposing directions.

Governor Andrew Cuomo opened the first span in April, which currently carries three lanes of traffic in two directions until the new span is completed in 2019.

The new bridges will direct five Queens-bound traffic lanes and four Brooklyn-bound lanes with a 20-feet-wide walkway over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

“The new Kosciuszko Bridge is a triumph, showing the world that New York is meeting big challenges and getting things done, rejuvenating our transportation infrastructure and supporting economic growth,” Cuomo said in the statement.

The bridge’s demolition was pushed back multiple times for both the first and second phases of its destruction. 

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