ODOT Implodes Wagoner County Bridge

After several delays, crews imploded a Wagoner County bridge Tuesday morning.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation originally planned to blow up the bridge around 7:30 a.m., but was postponed to 9:30 a.m.

"I'm pretty excited about it," said Sharon Burling, Wagoner County resident.

A large crowd gathered on Fort Gibson lake to watch the bridge come down. She stood about two hours longer than expected, but when it blew, spectators said it was worth the wait.

In seconds, the bridge trusses turned to rubble. 

The nearly 70-year-old bridge crosses the Grand River and Fort Gibson Lake. It was built in 1949 and was in bad shape.

Many watching the implosion said they were happy the 67-year-old bridge had reached the end of the road because it wasn't structurally sound.

"You could see the water from below if you looked out the window," said Wagoner County resident Edie Clarkson. "You could see there are places on the bridge that had holes."

That's why crews built a replacement bridge that opened to traffic last month. That project cost nearly $16 million.

The people we spoke to who watched the implosion said the new bridge provides nothing but smooth sailing over the Grand River and Fort Gibson Lake.