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Tristan Rakowski of Rakowski Cartage and Wrecking Ltd. said the demolished parts of the steel-truss bridge will all be recycled. The bridge was first built in 1907 to link the Nutana community with downtown Saskatoon across the South Saskatchewan River.

“The thing about the Traffic Bridge is that it’s so iconic,” McGillivray said. “It makes me and many other people sad to see it go.”

The bridge was closed in August 2010 after it was ruled structurally unsound. Sunday’s demolition will topple the two southernmost spans with explosives, set to go off at 9 a.m. The spans are supposed to drop straight down onto a berm built in the river.

McGillivray noted that although the new bridge will look similar to the original, it will be a replacement, not a replica.

“In my mind, shame on you, city council,” she said.

Rakowski said plans for demolition were on track Friday. Crews were making the necessary cuts in the steel to place the 16 explosive charges that will separate the spans from the piers on which they are located. The charges will be placed Saturday.

“This stuff’s very, very safe,” Rakowski said. “There’s no way of detonating it without a detonator on the end.”

While Rakowski could have used a Wile E. Coyote-style plunger to set off the charges, the explosions will be triggered with an electric cap from a command post west of the bridge on the south side of the river.

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Where to watch

The City of Saskatoon has established a 250-metre perimeter around the bridge. The area will be closed to pedestrians and traffic from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sunday. There will still be lots of places to watch the spans come down.

Broadway Bridge: Closed to vehicle traffic but open for pedestrians Sunday morning.

Rotary Park: Most of the park north of Saskatchewan Crescent lies within the exclusion zone, but a patch close to the Sen. Sid Buckwold Bridge will remain accessible.

River Landing: The west part of the area north of the river and east of the Buckwold Bridge will remain open.