84-year-old Chester Bridge demolished as hundreds watch

An 84-year-old southern Illinois highway bridge was blasted into the Mississippi River on Monday, next to its newly-opened replacement.

Demolition crews imploded the old Chester Bridge connecting Perryville, Missouri, and Chester, Illinois.

The implosion occurred around 8:45 a.m. as hundreds gathered at the official viewing area at a boat ramp on the Illinois side of the river. Schools were let out for the day, and busloads of kids were also on hand for the show.

More than two dozen simultaneous blasts brought the entire superstructure down at once, straight into the river below. The 30-foot tall bridge structure jutted out of the water as it sat on the bottom of the 18-foot deep river.

Massive cranes on barges were already waiting nearby to begin lifting the pieces of steel out of the water. MoDOT officials said they expect normal river traffic will be able to resume in about 48 hours.

A raffle was held to determine who would push the button to start the implosion. The winner of the raffle handed the honor over to Tom Page, the former mayor of Chester, who spearheaded the years-long effort to get a new bridge project approved.

The original bridge was built in 1942, then rebuilt in 1946 after a tornado demolished the upper structures. The Missouri Department of Transportation said the bridge was notoriously narrow, often forcing closure for wide farm equipment to cross. It, and had suffered significant recent structural wear and tea. 

The Chester Bridge was replaced by the $307 million Don Welge Memorial Bridge, which opened in July. Illinois and Missouri agreed to split the cost on the updated bridge that is wider and better equipped to accommodate heavier and wider traffic loads. 

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(Photo WFCN)