"Fire in the Hole!" – Watch Iowa Bridge Blasted Down into Mississippi River (Video)
The original structure opened in 1931 as a toll bridge and was imploded to make way for a new bridge set to open in 2027.
machineryasia The Iowa Department of Transportation has successfully imploded a Mississippi River bridge connecting the state with Wisconsin, and the new structure is set to open next year.
To check out a video of the bridge’s demolition, scroll to the end of this article.
The IA 9 / WIS 82 bridge, which connects Lansing, Iowa, to De Soto, and Ferryville, Wisconsin, was imploded December 19, plummeting the 1,700-foot structure into the Mississippi River. The steel through truss structure opened in 1931 as a toll bridge, handled around 2,200 vehicles per day and was locally known as the Black Hawk Bridge.
The $140 million contract was awarded to Kraemer North America, which oversaw the implosion performed by subcontractor Veit.
In a January 6 update, IDOT reported full removal of the old bridge was nearly complete and that placement of the new bridge’s steel in that area has already begun.
The new structure, compared to the previous bridge, will be twice as wide at 40 feet, reach 180 feet tall and feature a reinforced concrete bridge deck instead of the previous welded steel grate. The new bridge will also feature 8-foot shoulders where the original bridge had none and have larger lanes that are 12 feet wide.
The new bridge will also include an advanced duplex coating system that uses thermal spray zinc metalizing and a multi-layer epoxy and urethane system, helping to give the bridge a 100-year design life.
Work on the new bridge began in September 2023. Around 80% of the construction’s price tag will use federal funds, with IDOT and WisDOT splitting the remaining costs.
IDOT and the WisDOT have collaborated on a free, 15-minute car ferry to transport travelers in place of the bridge until the new structure is complete.
