HEGEWISCH — The State of Illinois demolished the Torrence Avenue Bridge Thursday morning in spectacular fashion.
Explosives were used to bring down the crumbling bridge on Chicago's Far Southeast Side. It crashed into the Grand Calumet River, where it is now being disassembled.
Watch the video:
The bridge, which connects the city's Hegewisch neighborhood to suburban Burnham about a mile south on 130th Street, was shut down in May after a routine inspection revealed structural steel had deteriorated and was no longer safe, the state said.
A new bridge will be built in its place with "modern style and design" and a "multiuse path" to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians, according to a statement released by Illinois Department of Transportation officials. It is due for completion in summer 2017.
Traffic has been detoured since last summer. Northbound cars and trucks have been sent east on Sibley Boulevard, north on Burnham Avenue and northwest on Brainard Avenue to reconnect with Torrence. Southbound motorists reverse that route.
After the blast, the bridge sits in the Grand Calumet River. (DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin)
The Torrence Avenue Bridge over the Grand Calumet River. (Google)
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