TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — A big chunk of the Tappan Zee Bridge has gone down in history.

The eastern section of the old bridge in New York dropped straight down into the Hudson River as it was demolished with explosives Tuesday morning.

After the billowing black smoke cleared, it remained about half submerged. The remnants will be salvaged and recycled.

Crowds gathered along both sides of the river to view the spectacle.

The Tappan Zee has been replaced by the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which carries Interstate 87 traffic over the Hudson River about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of New York City.

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7:45 a.m.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — A big chunk of the old Tappan Zee Bridge is about to go down in New York history.

Demolition with explosives is scheduled on Tuesday morning to remove the eastern part of the former bridge between Westchester and Rockland counties.

It’s already been replaced by the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which carries Interstate 87 traffic over the Hudson River about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of New York City.

The Tappan Zee, which opened in 1955, was a poster child for America’s crumbling infrastructure. Shifting steel plates gave drivers unnerving glimpses through road cracks of the chasm below.

There are plans to dismantle the western portion without explosives sometime this year.

A section of the old Tappan Zee Bridge is brought down with explosives in this view from Tarrytown, NY, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A section of the old Tappan Zee Bridge is brought down with explosives in this view from Tarrytown, NY, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A section of the old Tappan Zee Bridge is brought down with explosives in this view from Tarrytown, NY, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A section of the old Tappan Zee Bridge is brought down with explosives in this view from Tarrytown, NY, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)