Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro

A big piece of the east side of northbound half of the Mulholland Drive bridge fell down just after 4 p.m. Here is the statement issued by Unified Command:

The center span demolition is complete. 65% of the outer spans have been demolished. We expect demolition to proceed more slowly at this point while we carefully dismantle the remaining superstructure (material above the columns) in a way that maintains the structural integrity of the remaining bridge sections.

Within the past hour a large section of the Mulholland Bridge that is being demolished fell down.

This morning another large piece dropped. This is not cause for concern. It did not damage the newly constructed portion of the bridge nor should it cause any delays. The contractor usually cuts the sections into smaller pieces. Structural safety engineers are currently assessing how the large section can be safely demolished.

Kiewit's Dan Kukla is talking to the media as I type, telling them that the contractor still anticipates a reopening of the freeway at 5 a.m. Monday. Work on the bridge continues as I type — it's loud!

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