Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other New York City and state officials watched early Oct. 1, as the Kosciuszko Bridge, which has connected Brooklyn and Queens since 1939, was demolished via an implosion, Curbed reported. Some local residents joined the audience after obtaining spots through a lottery held by the Governor's office.

For years, the steel truss bridge has been waiting for demolition. Earlier this year, the process began with crews removing its main span, which was taken apart before being placed on a barge on the Newtown Creek, Curbed reported.

Cuomo said that the demolition process Oct. 1, was not exactly an explosion, but officially "energetic felling." The two sides of the bridge were removed with a total of 900 "explosions." The steel will be scrapped and recycled, Curbed reported.

"The Kosciuszko Bridge had to be replaced," said Cuomo. "I think there's been traffic on that bridge and a bottleneck since the day it was built."

The first span of the new Kosciuszko Bridge opened in the spring in a ceremony where Cuomo rode across it in a 1932 Packard owned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Traffic moves in both directions on this span, and will continue to do so until the second span is finished in 2020.

Take a look at the implosion footage taken by the Governor's office via a drone:

Today's top stories

Florida's Sarasota Bradenton International Airport Sees $105M Terminal Expansion

Louisville Pump Station Receives $230M Update

Rokbak Haul Track Telematics Boost Uptime With Proactive Maintenance

SISO Air, InTerra Form Strategic Reseller Agreement

Hitachi Construction Machinery Wins Silver in 2024 Anthem Award

Balfour Beatty's Carolinas Operations Selected for Over $36M in Special Project Works

Caterpillar to Spotlight 'Next 100 Years' at CES 2025

Liebherr to Exhibit at World of Concrete 2025