RUTHERFORD — A contractor for the Department of Transportation started demolition blasting the old Route 3 bridge over the Passaic River Thursday.

Traffic stopped for 15 minutes on routes 3 and 21 and on Riverside Avenue during the blasting.

Wheeler Antabanez, a photographer and Weird NJ contributor, sent NJ.com these images of the resulting explosion. Antabanez is an author working on a book and a movie about his adventures on the Passaic River.

Check out more of his work, including more photos of the Passaic River bridge, at his website or his Facebook page.

The second of five blasting events is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Timothy Greeley, spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said. Traffic will again stop for 15 minutes during the blasting.

Update, 2 p.m.: Antabanez also took video of the explosion. It's embedded below.

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