A civil engineering student from Bloemfontein, Singita Chauke who is doing his practical with Edwin Construction, had the privilege of detonating hundreds of fuses planted in a bridge which was blown up just south of the city on Tuesday afternoon as part of the ongoing construction of the N1 bypass.
“It was amazing, I am still shaking,” Chauke described the big moment so early in his engineering career.
Since early on Tuesday all safety measures were taken and nearby houses and businesses evacuated only to have a massive bridge turned into a cloud of dust within seconds.
Blasting expert, Johan Duvenhage was managing the demolition of the structure.
Construction of the N1 Eastern bypass around the city recommenced on 10 September 2019 at an estimated cost of R260,36 million.
Edwin Construction was awarded the contract to complete the project that was originally awarded to Basil Read (Pty) Ltd that was placed under business rescue on 14 June last year.

Story: RC Myburgh