Since we’ve all got bridges on the mind these days, I thought I’d mention one that has been around for over 125 years in one form or another: the Northern Pacific Railroad bridge, just slightly north of our beloved Memorial Bridges. Built in 1882, it didn’t always have rounded spans and has seen quite a bit of work where it meets the hill on the Bismarck side. The hill moves, and so do the piers. In fact, that part of the bridge has seen some hefty work even in my short lifetime.

It also makes a pretty good sightseeing point when they blow up the Memorial Bridge too, I guess! This guy sat idling for about a half an hour on Monday morning to watch the demolition of the west span of the humming bridge. I guess union membership DOES have its benefits on occasion!

The new Memorial Bridge really is cool, despite not having a walkway on the north side for people who want to enjoy the view. However, with the old Memorial Bridge going bye-bye for good, we have only the Northern Pacific bridge to grace the river with its historic appearance and arched spans. Perhaps the sentimentality local residents showed toward the Memorial Bridge will shift toward the NP bridge, although most of Bismarck-Mandan’s citizens have never crossed it. We do love our landmarks, don’t we?

Well, today was the day! I took the morning off for the big event: the destruction of the first span of the old Memorial Bridge. Ever since the new one was started, people have wondered how the old one would come down. It’s particularly tricky on the Mandan side, because the old and new bridges are so close together. Drop the old one incorrectly, and we’ll be picking pieces of TWO bridges out of the Big Muddy! Nobody wants that.

The west span came down in a blaze of glory today, being cut into pieces by shaped charges, and dropped into the drink in 26 large chunks (plus assorted debris).

I staked out a place on the fake riverboat at Steamboat Park early this morning. At 7:30 people were already parked and waiting. I got a great spot, met lots of really neat people, and got some great photos and video. Click below to watch the big bang, both in real-time and slow motion. You’ll hear my camera shutter going mad in the background.

Notice how the camera shook from the shock wave. I don’t think anybody, myself included, expected such an enormous BOOM from those charges!

This is the mess that must be removed by crane over the next 24 hours. I haven’t verified why that is, but with the river so low I suspect that it’s because the Missouri’s flow has been slowed for the occasion. The bottom of the old bridge’s pilings are visible, at least the part that is above the river bed, and I bet that makes recovery easier. My suspicion is that once the cleanup is done, the gates at the Garrison Dam will be opened a little wider and the river level will come up a bit. If anyone has any solid information there, please post a comment!

I have more photos from the event, but those will have to come later. I have to get back to work. Span #2 will come down in a week or so, and I’m hoping to be there as well!