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DAYTON— After 96 years of shuttling traffic into the city's southern gateway, it took all of 3 seconds to bring down the Stewart Street Bridge.

Very few spectators were on hand at 7 a.m. Saturday, July 5, when explosives tumbled the series of six piers at half-second intervals, said Charles Jergens, owner of Charles Jergens Construction Inc., the company handling demolition.

"It went better than planned," Jergens said Saturday morning. "It was very quick, very clean, with very little fly" from debris.

Four giant hoe-rams spent the day reducing the 20,000 tons of concrete and steel debris into smaller pieces that could be trucked away.

Jergens said a temporary causeway will be built between the demolished piers so cranes can be positioned to put the new bridge in place. The new structure, expected to be completed in December of 2009, will cost $15.2 million.

The original 669-foot reinforced concrete bridge took two years to build at a cost of $154,000 in 1911.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse@DaytonDailyNews.com.