CHESTERFIELD • The parking lot of an outlet mall wasn’t the officially sanctioned spot to watch the old westbound span of the Boone Bridge be blown up, but the vantage point was too good for some to miss.

When a big hunk of the bridge came crashing down at 10:09 a.m. on Thursday, spectators at St. Louis Premium Outlets were ready to capture the moment with their smartphone cameras.

Rick Kortum of Wildwood was more prepared. His digital camera was set up on a tripod, ready to shoot video.

He and his wife, Kathy, got the idea a day earlier to come to the outlet mall lot, when they were there shopping and saw how close they could get to the bridge over the Missouri River. The “official” viewing area was on the other side of Highway 40 (Interstate 64), and would have required a walk of up to a mile.

“I’m not doing that with my back,” Kortum said. “No way.”