The Kosciuszko Bridge was demolished on Sunday, marking the first ever implosion of a major bridge using explosives in New York City.
More than 900 linear shaped charges were placed on the bridge while 1,600 cuts were made to weaken the steel. Steel from the bridge that connects Brooklyn and Queens fell into a prepared landing below, with help from 20 steel truss spans that limited the dust and debris.
The bridge is being replaced by two new state-of-the-art, cable-stayed bridges at a cost of $873 million. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2019.
The Kosciuszko Bridge had to be replaced. It was 78 years old, the structural integrity was questioned, it was built to handle one quarter of the volume, it is a legendary bottleneck in the city of New York, and it has been for decades,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
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