The old Lake Barkley Bridge was demolished Wednesday morning in front of a crowd of spectators.
The explosive detonation was set off around 7:20 by Mary Beth Baker of Trigg County. Her $16,500 bid at the Cadiz Rotary Club auction on Monday night won her the chance to push the button that set off the explosion.
Spectators and media members watched the blast from viewing areas on each side of the historic bridge, while over a dozen boats and kayaks watched from the water and nearby islands of Lake Barkley.
After the bridge was demolished, KYTC workers walked the new bridge to make sure no debris was scattered on the driving surface. Traffic resumed on the new bridge a little more than 30 minutes after the detonation.
KYTC spokesperson Keith Todd said prior to the blast a demolition crew removed the concrete deck from the 86-year-old bridge, making way for the explosives to be placed on the structure.
The old Lake Barkley Bridge opened to traffic in 1932 and was initially a toll bridge. Also known as the Henry R. Lawrence Memorial Bridge and the Canton Bridge, the structure was more than three-thousand feet long
The new $128 million bridge opened to two-lane traffic in February. Work is underway to finish the new bridge this year that includes opening to four-lane traffic a multi-use path.
Here is a video of the bridge explosion from a boat courtesy of Lake Barkley Resort, listeners be aware that there is some explicit language from surrounding crowd members in the excitement of the explosion.
