A motorway bridge in western Germany was successfully demolished on Sunday (7 May) after a 17-month closure for safety reasons.br br The Rahmede Valley bridge weighed 17,000 tonnes, was 70 metres high and 453 metres long, but took mere moments to crumble into a prepared drop bed on demolition day.br br The blast site in Lüdenscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, involved approximately 150 kilograms of explosives.br br The demolished motorway bridge over the Rahmede valley was built between 1965 and 1968.