Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

It was just after 10 a.m. Friday that the final segment of the Dick Henderson Memorial Bridge came crashing down into the Kanawha River.

The original plan had called for crews to remove the steel girders piece-by-piece, but as they worked their way from the center of the span out, they realized the portions connected to the banks were heavier than anticipated.

At that point, they made the executive decision that blasting was the safest and most efficient way to get the rest of the bridge down. It started last week, when the St. Albans side was blown up, and concluded this morning across the river in Nitro.

West Virginia Division of Highways spokesperson Brent Walker said everything went off without a hitch, and crews can now get back to work building the new bridge.

Among the hundreds in attendance to watch the demolition were two very special guests.

It takes a special type of person to blow up a bridge, and Nitro wanted to symbolically "bridge the gap" between their oldest and youngest generations.

Nine-year-old Nitro Elementary School student Jessica Tyler was chosen in a random drawing to be one of the lucky ones to symbolically flip the switch. Backed by her family and other classmates, she had a front row seat to history.

From the youngest generation to the greatest - a group of World War II veterans were on hand. 92-year-old Thomas "Frosty" Walls joined Tyler, but said blowing things up was nothing new to him. He worked with explosives during his service.

"I got a kick out of if it,” Walls said. “I was in the Air Force in a bomb squad. It was nothing new, but it brought back old memories."

The idea of bringing the two together for such an honor is an effort to bridge the gap between the two generations.

“It's very important that these young generations and all of us remember the sacrifices these men made for us," said Nitro Mayor Dave Casebolt.

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The final piece of history came tumbling down into the river Friday morning as the Dick Henderson Memorial Bridge that connects to Nitro was detonated.

As onlookers in Nitro and St. Albans watched, the demolition appeared to go off without a hitch about 10 a.m.

The St. Albans section of the bridge was demolished last week. Work will continue on the replacement project for the bridge.

"At this point, we don't have any reason we can't get it up in November," state Department of Transportation spokesman Brent Walker said about the new bridge.

Eyewitness News had live stream coverage of the bridge demolition at wchstv.com, and featured live TV coverage on WVAH Fox 11.

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Nitro’s mayor said the guests invited to be at the “flip the switch” ceremony at Friday’s bridge demolition were chosen to bridge the gap between generations.

About a dozen World War II veterans and a group of elementary students will be on hand for festivities when the Dick Henderson Memorial Bridge that connects to Nitro is detonated. The bridge blast is scheduled promptly at 10 a.m. The “flip the switch” area in Nitro will be in the designated viewing site for the public on Center Street off Route 25, near the bridge between the railroad tracks and the stoplight. Another public viewing area will be at Roadside Park in St. Albans.

“We are actually bridging the gap between the greatest generation and our youngest generation,” Nitro Mayor Dave Casebolt said of the invited veterans and students. “The youngest generation needs to understand the sacrifices these guys made for us and that freedom is not free.”

World War II veteran Thomas Walls, 92, and Nitro Elementary School student Jessica Taylor will actually flip the ceremonial switch, Casebolt said. A group of elementary students will be on hand – two from Cross Lanes Elementary, one from Rock Branch Elementary and seven from Nitro Elementary School.

Eyewitness News brought you live coverage of the demolition of the St. Albans section of the bridge last week, and we want to make sure you don’t miss the Nitro detonation – what we’re calling “Bridge Blast, Part II.”

We will once again provide live stream coverage on our website at wchstv.com and live TV coverage at WVAH Fox 11 starting at about 9:55 a.m. You can join us online at 9:45 a.m. for different camera angles that will show the bridge as people wait for the big moment. In addition, you can follow our coverage of the demolition as it happens, on Twitter by using #bridgedemo.

At wchstv.com, not only will you get to see the bridge coming down as it actually happens, Eyewitness News will have replays of the detonation from different angles. We also will have live stream coverage of some of the aftermath of the explosion.

Don’t miss the second part of this historic event. We promise to do a bang-up job.

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Call it “Bridge Blast, Part II.”

Now that the St. Albans portion of the Dick Henderson Memorial Bridge has exploded into history, it’s time to bring down the section that connects to Nitro.

Eyewitness News will once again provide live stream coverage on our website at wchstv.com and live TV coverage at WVAH Fox 11. The blast of the Nitro section is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday.

You can join us online at 9:45 a.m. for different camera angles that will show the bridge as people wait for the big moment. Live TV coverage begins shortly before 10 a.m.

Nitro officials have picked two people to flip the ceremonial switch -- Thomas Walls, a 92-year-old World War II veteran, and Nitro Elementary School student Jessica Taylor. The state Department of Transportation has said people can view the demolition from St. Albans Roadside Park. Nitro officials are still determining a possible site to view the demolition from the Nitro side.

At wchstv.com, not only will you get to see the bridge coming down as it actually happens, Eyewitness News will have replays of the detonation from different angles. We also will have live stream coverage of some of the aftermath of the explosion.

Don’t miss the second part of this historic event. We promise to do a bang-up job.

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