I-81 Bridges Come Down

Two old I-81 bridges over the Chenango River in Binghamton are gone.  Shortly after 10:00 a.m. September 24 the New York State Department of Transportation detonated 600 pounds of dynamite that took down the structures.  Traffic was stopped in the area near the detonation for about 15 minutes on 81 North and South as well as I-88 and Route 17.

The blast capped six months of planning by the NYSDOT and is one of several things needed to be done to finish Phase 1 of the Prospect Mountain Project. The bridges were built in the 1960's.

Detonation by blasting saved months of work, cut down the danger to workers and minimized traffic disruption.  Phase 1 of the project is scheduled to close in December of this year.