The underwater explosion in part of the foundation of the old bridge took place at 9:49 a.m. It was delayed about 20 minutes because a dolphin was swimming nearby. A few spectators stopped at a dock at Second Street Park in Belleair Beach to see the splash and hear the thunderous roar.

Many of the piers of the old bridge still remain. The bridge has been under demolition for weeks and is expected to take several more to complete.
This was only detonation scheduled for the bridge, said Meg Korakis, Pinellas County, FL spokeswoman.