The Commercial Street Bridge on I-376 in Pittsburgh was demolished Thursday in a dramatic implosion that sent vibrations miles away and left the roadway in rubble at the bottom of the valley.”The sound was more of a loud crack than a boom, and I think I felt it more in my body,” said Ash Strazzinski of Swissvale, who watched the demolition with friends.The bridge, which carried 100,000 drivers daily, is now gone. Strazzinski and others woke up early to witness the event live.”It just seems like a historic moment for Pittsburgh,” Strazzinski said. “Also, it’s an impressive feat of engineering. Just to witness it is special,” she added.Drone 4 captures video of bridge demolition: Watch it belowThe demolition began with a 30-minute warning just before 8 a.m., followed by warning sirens about five minutes before the blast.A crew member shouted, “Fire in the hole.” Seconds later, the bridge came down with a thunderous explosion. “It was more wild than riding the Black Widow at Kennywood,” Strazzinski said with a laugh.Before and after video: Parkway East before the bridge blast, and how it looks nowCleanup efforts are underway and are expected to take several days before crews begin moving the new bridge into place.The Parkway East remains closed between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange. The closure is currently scheduled to continue through Aug. 3.Amazing ground-level video of the bridge demolition: Watch it belowDownload the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH —
The Commercial Street Bridge on I-376 in Pittsburgh was demolished Thursday in a dramatic implosion that sent vibrations miles away and left the roadway in rubble at the bottom of the valley.
“The sound was more of a loud crack than a boom, and I think I felt it more in my body,” said Ash Strazzinski of Swissvale, who watched the demolition with friends.
The bridge, which carried 100,000 drivers daily, is now gone. Strazzinski and others woke up early to witness the event live.
“It just seems like a historic moment for Pittsburgh,” Strazzinski said.
“Also, it’s an impressive feat of engineering. Just to witness it is special,” she added.
Drone 4 captures video of bridge demolition: Watch it below
The demolition began with a 30-minute warning just before 8 a.m., followed by warning sirens about five minutes before the blast.
A crew member shouted, “Fire in the hole.” Seconds later, the bridge came down with a thunderous explosion.
“It was more wild than riding the Black Widow at Kennywood,” Strazzinski said with a laugh.
Before and after video: Parkway East before the bridge blast, and how it looks now
Cleanup efforts are underway and are expected to take several days before crews begin moving the new bridge into place.
The Parkway East remains closed between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange. The closure is currently scheduled to continue through Aug. 3.
Amazing ground-level video of the bridge demolition: Watch it below
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.