U.S. 69 will close for several hours Friday for bridge demolition

U.S. 69 will close for several hours Friday so demolition crews can use explosives to remove the center pier of the former Fairfax Bridge.

The highway, which connects Wyandotte and Platte counties, will be closed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Crews will detonate the blast about 1 p.m. The blast will occur below the water line of the Missouri River. No public viewing will be available.

The demolition work is part of a project to replace the Fairfax and Platte Purchase bridges with a single bridge, which is to open in late 2016.

Crews earlier this year used a series of blasts to remove the Fairfax Bridge’s steel truss structure.

The bridge had carried southbound U.S. 69 traffic, but all traffic is now being carried on the adjacent Platte Purchase Bridge.

Here are videos from previous demolition work:

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 8:47 AM.