The Interstate 64 project is entering a more visible phase. Preparations are underway for this weekend's implosion of the Tamm Avenue overpass on Highway 40.

Friday night a stretch of highway will be shut down for the Tamm overpass demolition.

Crews drilled holes in the Tamm overpass where a jelled form of dynamite will be inserted.

Project spokesperson Dan Galvin said sometime around 11 or midnight they’ll blow out the support piers and the bridge deck will fall to the roadway below and they will just chop it up and haul it away.

They'll cover the highway with loads of dirt and sand to protect the pavement and also to cushion the impact of the bridge deck.

“Most of the blast will go laterally along the freeway itself so its not going to be a huge explosion with debris flying everywhere,” Galvin added.

But there is concern enough that gateway constructors sent out certified letters offering to document the pre-blast condition of the 17 closest properties with a tour and digital photos. 11 of the 17 agreed.

With the overpass so close to the St. Louis Zoo we wondered about the impact of the explosion on the animals.

We found out, the hippos and the rhinos are closest to 40 and zookeepers are taking steps to make sure those animals are not affected during the overnight demolition.

The zoo will remain open throughout the entire highway 40 reconstruction.
Merchants in nearby Dogtown like violin artisan Michael Kocher say the Ii-64 construction could be a feast or famine.

If drivers detour through Dogtown and like what they see, that's good. But they could also stay too far away.

If you want to see all this, Galvin says the best vantage points will be from the north. But you should know the zoo's parking lot will be closed overnight to insure no one gets within about 500 feet of the blast. Tamm is the first but it won't be the last, about a dozen bridges will come down before it’s over.

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