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While most people were sleeping overnight on Friday, the Arizona Department of Transportation was busy removing the old Pantano Union Pacific Railroad Bridge on Interstate 10, approximately 30 miles east of Tucson.

Despite heavy rainfall that dropped the temperatures to the mid-30s and wind gusts up to nearly 30 mph, ADOT successfully removed the bridge in nearly 10 hours. A full closure of I-10 between State Routes 83 and 90 was necessary to provide a safe work zone for the demolition. Check out this 49-second long video clip of the demolition of the old Pantano Union Pacific Railroad Bridge from start to finish:



During this bridge demolition project, drivers were guided by signage through a 67-mile detour using State Routes 83, 82 and 90. Both directions of I-10 were reopened Saturday morning when most people were just starting to wake up and start their day.
The old Pantano Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, which was built in 1955, was no longer in use because a near railway was built nearby.

By removing the Pantano UPRR Bridge, most commercial trucks will now be able to travel on I-10 through the project area. The old bridge was too low for many of today's taller trucks, who were previously required to take a 67-mile detour along state routes 83, 82 and 90.