The best vantage point for watching Sunday morning's implosion of the old Lowry Avenue bridge is in front of the television, Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein said Thursday.

Asked where people could catch a glimpse of the century-old structure toppling into the Mississippi River at 9 a.m. Sunday, explosives expert Lisa Kelly, of Advance Explosives Demolition Inc., also recommended TV.

"There is no place to put anyone," she said.

Officials will enforce a 1,000 foot perimeter around the bridge between north and northeast Minneapolis. Airspace above the bridge and the river on either side of it will be patrolled as well, she said. "Barges will block the water."

People who live near the bridge will be instructed to stay in their homes away from the windows.

"We do not want an injury of any type," Kelly said.

Hennepin County officials warn that the implosion may be loud - about 118 decibels - but will not be a Hollywood style explosion. The bridge's driving deck has been removed and its steel members have been cut. When the charges go off, freeing the bridge from the concrete piers, gravity will simply pull its pieces into the river.

Construction of an $80 million modern replacement will start in October. The bridge, built in 1905, has been closed since April 2008 due to structural deficiency.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711