3,2,1….The old Innerbelt Bridge is gone for good

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -

During this morning'scontrolled demolitionof the old Innerbelt Bridge, many local roadways were closed but viewers that wanted to get a closer look watched it happen LIVE on19actionnews.comat 6 a.m.

SLIDESHOW

The controlled demolition dropped five of the nine steel spans of the 1959 bridge. The bridge railings, lights, barriers and concrete driving surface were already removed using traditional methods.

The concrete piers will be demolished later this summer.

The plan protected the businesses that operate from the Flats as well as people living and working in the Tremont neighborhood.

When the bridge opened in 1959 it was the widest bridge in Ohio, carrying four lanes in each direction. The bridge carried interstate traffic in both directions and was a classic steel "Pratt Deck Truss" with a cast-in-place concrete deck and steel parapets. It stood 128 feet tall, 116 feet wide and was 5,078 feet long.

ODOTis in the midst of replacing the 55-year old bridge with two new structures one to carry traffic in each direction. The pair have been named in honor of statesman George V. Voinovich. Replacement of the 1959 bridge is vital to the success of moving people in and out of downtown Cleveland now and in the future. It will enhance capacity, bolster our economy and ensure the safety of motorists. The first of the pair is now open and temporarily carrying traffic in both directions until completion of the second new bridge in late 2016.

Demolition began in January 2014 and has been a sequenced activity much like construction, only in reverse. Demolition is expected to be complete by the end of August.

The Innerbelt Bridge closed at midnight Friday and reopened Saturday at 9 a.m.

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3,2,1....The old Innerbelt Bridge is gone for good