Historic bridge over Mississippi River set for explosive demolition

The Black Hawk Bridge crosses the Mississippi River from Lansing Iowa to rural Crawford County near De Soto, Wisconsin. - (Tony Webster/Wikicommons)

A nearly century-old bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Iowa and Wisconsin is set for implosion this Friday, a rare event paving the way for a modern successor.

Known as the Mississippi River Bridge, or Black Hawk Bridge, it was finished in 1931, linking Lansing, Iowa, with Wisconsin.