What stood for nearly 70 years, took just seconds to come down Wednesday. A 500-foot span of the Topeka Boulevard Bridge went out with a bang. About 240 pounds of explosives brought it crashing to the ground. And while officials deemed it a success, they admit it had a few minor glitches.

From the air and from the ground, officers made a final check to be sure the crowd of hundreds wasn't getting too close. "Everybody cooperated. They understood the nature of the incident," Officer Steve Roth, Topeka Police Department, said.

Underneath the bridge, heat slowed the final wiring process. "A couple of guys who were loading the holes... we were concerned about heat exhaustion... so we made sure they took quite a few breaks," Pat Carney, from Chicago Explosives, said.

Finally at 1:36, more than a half-hour past schedule, the final countdown signaled the start of the demolition.

"You always look for perfection... and this was pretty close," Dave Bevens, City of Topeka, said. "We're happy with how it came down," Carney said.

But the success didn't come without a couple glitches. Flying concrete hit a topeka fire inspector standing by the barricade. The debris went through the skin above her lip, and she had to go to the hospital. She was later released and back on the job. A young boy was also cut by debris but didn't need treatment. Those chunks also broke at least one window and punched a hole in a wall.

Crews wrapped the concrete pillars in fabric to avoid such problems, but say one pillar was further deteriorated than others. "That's why there's a perimeter... the owner of the building did say he was glad he was kept away," Bevens said. "That concrete was in bad shape... it's a good thing they're replacing it," Carney said.

This isn't the last detonation. Carney expects at least three more blasts. The next will bring down the north end of the center span and will happen in about two weeks.