JEFFERSON CITY - The cracks, pops and booms that explode every Fourth of July are much like the fireworks that take place when bridges go down with a bang after new, safer structures have been erected. 

Missouri has 10,249 bridges on the state system and the most major river bridges in the nation with 53.  The average cost to build a major bridge runs from $30 million to $80 million, with some structures costing as much as $300 million.  With bridges playing a major role in the state's transportation system, Missouri has seen a fair share of bridge demolitions.

In the spirit of Independence Day, the Missouri Department of Transportation has pulled together a compilation of bridge demolitions into a brief video that can be found on YouTube.  To view the video, go to www.youtube.com/modotvideo.