Traffic stopped for hour as Mo. bridge demolished

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) - Motorists are held up on Interstate 70 near St. Louis for an hour as demolition crews blew up part of the westbound Blanchette Bridge over the Missouri River in St. Charles.

The explosion went as planned and 1.5 million pounds of obsolete bridge fell into the river. The rest of the bridge is scheduled to be brought down the first week of December.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/U7UVBv) reports the eastbound Blanchette Bridge will continue carrying traffic over the river while the westbound bridge is replaced in a $63 million project.

Spectators in lawn chairs watched the bridge being exploded Sunday afternoon. Vehicles were held back for half an hour after the blast so workers could clear any pieces that might have landed on the adjacent bridge.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com