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107-Year-Old Donora-Webster Bridge Imploded

DONORA, Pa. (AP) - A 107-year-old western Pennsylvania bridge was imploded Wednesday morning.

The Donora-Webster Bridge carries Route 837 over the Monongahela River between Donora and Webster in Westmoreland County's Rostraver Township.

But it's been closed since 2009 due to its deteriorating condition, so the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been dismantling parts of the span to prepare for Wednesday's implosion of the remaining superstructure.

Residents within 1,000 feet of the bridge were evacuated as a precaution.

The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the way it was constructed with pins joining its steel beams, but officials say traffic has been decreasing since the 1960s.

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(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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