People and cars cross over the Wayne Street Viaduct as the remains of the old one were still standing Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. Butler Eagle file photo

Justin Guido

The Wayne Street Viaduct, which carries Wayne Street over the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad tracks, Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad tracks and Connoquenessing Creek, opened the afternoon of Oct. 23, 2009.

Construction on the $9.5 million replacement viaduct began in August 2008. The bridge had been closed the past four months, which affected traffic flow, but also business on the city's South Side.

“I could just jump up and down and scream for joy. I'm probably doing a third of the business I used to do,” said Linda Allison, owner of Linda's South Side Restaurant on Center Avenue.

The old viaduct would be dismantled piece-by-piece by cranes. Unlike its replacement, which has all concrete beams, the old viaduct was an all-steel structure.

Workers construct railings on the $9.5 million Wayne Street Viaduct in 2008, which was set for completion in the spring. Butler Eagle File Photo.