First half of Kansas Turnpike bridge dropped by implosion.
76 metres down, 76 metres to go. Today’s successful dropping of a 250-ton section of original Kansas River bridge along the Kansas Turnpike now has officials turning their attention to 10 am Thursday, the anticipated time for detonating more explosives to cut through the rusted steel structure.
“This went great,” said Rex Fleming, the turnpike’s project engineer, at the blast site Sunday afternoon. “We’re ready to do it again.”
More than 150 onlookers crowded into parking lots, under shelters and up against trees Sunday in Burcham Park to observe the first bridge blast. It’s all part of an ongoing $130 million project for the Kansas Turnpike Authority, which is replacing its 55-year-old river bridges, overhauling two Lawrence interchanges and making other upgrades through the end of 2011.
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