WATCH: Caltrans Destroys Bay Bridge Pier in Dramatic Implosion

Did you catch it? If you blinked, you might have missed it.

Caltrans demolished the largest remaining pier of the old Bay Bridge’s eastern span this weekend, using nearly 600 explosive charges— over a period of roughly just six seconds long. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll want to check out this video. (Fast forward to the 53:30 mark)

The underwater demolition took place around 7:15 a.m. Saturday in the San Francisco Bay.

Technicians deployed a blast attenuation system or “bubble curtain” to reduce the impact of the explosions in the surrounding waters by an estimated 80 percent, according to Caltrans officials.

Now that the blast is over, engineers will be collecting data in the vicinity of the pier’s implosion to determine the procedure’s impact on the environment and nearby wildlife.

“In the coming weeks, we’ll be exhaustively collecting extensive data and determining the effect the implosion had on the environment and fish nearby,” said Brian Maroney, Chief Bridge Engineer of Caltrans’ Toll Bridge Program. “We don’t know exactly whatit looks like down there, not yet. The information will be critical for determining the best method for demolishing the remaining 21 piers.”

Caltrans may seek approval to implode some or all of the old eastern span’s remaining 21 piers, according to a statement issued this weekend.

Traffic was briefly stopped on the Bay Bridge during the demolition, and BART trains temporarily refrained from passing through the Transbay Tube. Caltrans officials said that the only visible evidence of this morning’s implosion was a dust cloud in the air and timber floating in the water.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report. Image via Caltrans on YouTube.