Hulton Bridge falls into history

The flames of a blowtorch sliced through the remains of the Hulton Bridge, its steel trusses resting upright in the Allegheny River on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after the 2,200 tons of steel dropped with a rumble felt 10 miles away in Tarentum.

“Everything went exactly as planned,” said Karlene Durso, project engineer for Brayman Construction. “It was a beautiful thing.”

The controlled demolition of the 107-year-old Hulton Bridge at 9:49 a.m. was among the final phases of the $66 million bridge replacement project between Oakmont and Harmar. PennDOT contracted with Brayman Construction to build the new bridge, which was unscathed by the demolition.

After crews stopped traffic on Route 28, explosives contractor Demtech detonated the blast 11 minutes ahead of schedule. Workers conducted safety checks to ensure charges went off, then re-opened Route 28 in less than 15 minutes and the new bridge in less than an hour.

Soon after, Brayman crews began clearing the 300-foot navigation channel that must be re-opened by Friday morning. Crews will cut through the trusses and use cranes mounted on barges to move the pieces from the river.

The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers closed the channel and will conduct underwater scans to ensure debris has been removed before re-opening the river to traffic. Removing the rest of the bridge will take longer. In coming months, Brayman will clear stone piers and a small, final section of the bridge over Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.

The last major piece of work to complete on land is the opening of all four lanes of the new bridge, which PennDOT expects in early May.

Removing the steel from the river “certainly has its challenges,” said Allen Edris, a regulatory project manager with the Corps of Engineers, including relying on fair weather during the next three days. Shifts will last from dawn to dusk, limiting the time crews can work.

Despite a smooth demolition, the event was bittersweet.

“This is a very happy day — but a sad day,” said Oakmont Mayor Robert Fescemyer.

When his grandson Lennon Kartman, 9, from Springdale came to visit, “that bridge was the way to grandma's house,” the mayor said. “But to keep our town and business district vibrant, we needed this new bridge.”

Residents prepped at 8 a.m., heading to Oakmont Bakery to pick up commemorative sugar cookies and T-shirts. About 45 minutes before the implosion, curious onlookers began gathering on the banks of the Allegheny.

“It's really cool to see how it's done,” said Linda Kaplan, 30, a bridge engineer from Westwood.

Homeowners along Riverside Drive opened their backyards and docks for private viewings, including Jake Klein, 55, who kept a Hulton Bridge blog detailing construction and demolition details.

The earlier-than-expected-blast caught onlookers off-guard. But they felt the rattle of the blast on the docks and heard the boom echoing through the hillsides. The symphony of simultaneous charges scared house cats and blew through the hair of Jeffrey Carr of Johnstown, who hosted a party of 20 onboard his cruiser docked at the Oakmont Yacht Club.

“You saw the implosion, and the concussion came down the river and it blew you back,” Carr said.

The only report of damage was a broken window of a parked car on Pennsylvania Avenue in Oakmont, said Oakmont police Chief David DiSanti.

Oakmont and Harmar police worked with state police on Route 28 and in a helicopter, before and during the blast, to enforce a 1,000-foot safety perimeter. Two people tried to get into Riverside Park along Third Street before the demolition, Disanti said; they left without incident.

Many, without the warning of an air horn or siren, were chatting or had their backs turned when the bridge dropped. Sherman Sproule, 67, in town from California to visit his mother in Plum, wasn't paying attention the moment it dropped and searched for video after.

“Obviously, they needed a new bridge, but I like the looks of the old one a lot better,” he said. “I've been driving across that bridge my whole life.”

Mary Ann Thomas and Melissa Daniels are Tribune-Review staff writers. Reach Thomas at 724-226-4691 or mthomas@tribweb.com and Daniels at 412-380-8511 or mdaniels@tribweb.com.