DYNAMITE BLAST SHAKES THE GROUND AND SINKS THE OLD TZ

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PHOTOS BY OWEN CRAMSIE, JR.

A section of the old Tappan Zee Bridge came down within seconds when demolition crews ignited the explosive charges late Tuesday morning. At 10:52 a.m., the span came down into the Hudson with a splash and smoke rising above. Hundreds of people gathered along the Hudson River on both sides of the Hudson to watch the event live. 

The Thruway, which travels across the new Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge, was shut down in both directions for about 45 minutes, as a safety precaution, creating miles of backup.

In the next several days, crews will dismantle the pieces in the water and remove them from the Hudson. The eastern anchor section was blown up because it was deemed unsafe for crews to dismantle it. The west anchor section, the only piece still standing, will be taken apart by hand.

Some observors told the media they were surprised by the magnitude of explosion. Many felt the blast miles away.

Seismologists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory provided a chart recording the surface level seismic reading caused by the blast. Head seismologist Won-Young Kim told the Rockland County Times that a surface explosion should not impact the fault line a mile or so away.

Partly republished from MidHudsonNews

  Tappan Zee demolition