Showing posts with label 16. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 16. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Bull Shoals bridge blown!

Live video here!

Forsyth Mo. - At around 10:12 AM on a chilly Oct the 16th, the 65 year old Bull Shoals bridge superstructure was dynamited free of its supporting pillars. And it was a breathtaking event for hundreds of area residents, who gathered just to the west of the location, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the blast was enormous as the entire structure came down in less that a second. For another, most of us were not prepared for it as the was not 'just before blast' warning given. So, everyone was shouting, 'did you get that'? Still, all in all, I was blessed to have witnessed something you just don't see every day!

In the field where I was located, I was surprised to see so many cars, this for an event that was word of mouth only. Yet, for all of that, emergency services were everywhere, both on land and water to make sure everyone was safe.

In this close up you can see how the blasts sheared the supports at the pillar hinge areas. The superstructure beams had been cut by acetylene torch beforehand. I understand that the remaining pillars will be removed once the steel superstructure and road bed is removed.
So it was, we locals bid a fond farewell to what had been a fixture in the Forsyth Missouri area for as long as many had been alive!