A demolition crew, with the use of explosives, took down several 140 to 160 foot long steel beams that rested atop the pillars of the three center spans of the Blue Earth County 9 bridge, just upstream from the Rapidan Dam on Wednesday.
Once the beams, which dropped to the Blue Earth River bed, are cut up and removed, crews will bring in heavy equipment to manually remove the piers.
The contractor is working to have most of the bridge removed before spring when the Blue Earth River rises.
The $1.16 million project is being paid for by the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency funding program.
Blue Earth County is in the early stages of awarding contracts for environmental and design work on a new bridge, which will also be funded by the federal government.
Work on the replacement bridge won’t happen until later 2026 or 2027.
The new bridge is expected to be built exactly, or very close to, where the original bridge is.