Workers move about the site as demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge starts on Friday night. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

A worker sprays water on the work site as large excavators begin the demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Debris falls as large excavators begin the demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Callan Cassidy watches as demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge begins on Friday night. Cassidy said that she looking forward to her house not shaking when trucks go over the bridge. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

There is no traffic on I-295 after 7 p.m. as the highway was closed for demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Debris falls at the start of the demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge. Demolition is expected to last until early Saturday afternoon. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

People watch as demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge begins. Derek Davis

Excavators work on the demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge on Friday night. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Dust rises from the demolition of the Veranda Street Bridge. Movement of the two new bridge sections into place is expected to happen Saturday afternoon into late Saturday night or Sunday morning. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Steel beams of the old I-295 bridge over Veranda Street in Portland are removed on Saturday morning. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Steel beams from the old I-295 bridge over Veranda Street in Portland are removed Saturday morning Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

With the steel beams of the old I-295 bridge over Veranda Street removed, workers clear debris from the bridge abutments on Saturday morning. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

At left in this photo, a crane lowers two of the steel beams after removing them from the old I-295 bridge over Veranda Street in Portland. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The first deck section is rolled into place at the Veranda Street bridge project on I-295 on Saturday afternoon. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Lyle McDonald watches from atop his father’s shoulders Saturday as workers clear away debris from the I-295 bridge. “We’ve talked about it all week,” John McDonald said. “I think it will be difficult to get him to leave here.” The two, who live in Falmouth just over Martin’s Point bridge, walked down to site to watch. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The first deck is placed on Saturday afternoon. It took about a half hour to roll the deck into position where it could be lowered into place. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The first new deck is placed on the I-295 bridge over Veranda Street on Saturday afternoon. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The prefabricated bridge deck, one of two, is 80 feet long, 47 feet wide and weighs 400 tons. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The project reconfigures the roadway under the Veranda Street bridge and is expected to improve safety. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

On Sunday, work continues on the replacement of the Veranda Street Bridge on I-295 in Portland. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Paving work continues on the Veranda Street bridge project on Sunday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Paving work continues Sunday on the Veranda Street bridge replacement project. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Workers finish up after replacing the Veranda Street Bridge spans on I-295 in Portland. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

The demolition and replacement of an aging highway overpass closed a busy stretch of highway for three days. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

The final step to complete the $20.8 million Veranda Street bridge project was paving and striping the bridge. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Construction workers put in 12-hour shifts to get the project done on time. Paving work began Sunday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Six years of planning went into the demolition and replacement of the bridge, which began Friday evening and finished Monday morning, ahead of schedule. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Traffic travels across the Veranda Street Bridge on I-295 in Portland on Monday morning. The reconfigured Veranda Street will have two 11-foot-side vehicle travel lanes, two 5-foot-wide bicycle lanes, a 5-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side and a multi-use path on the south side. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Traffic travels across the Veranda Street Bridge on I-295 in Portland on Monday morning. The city announced the reopening at 7:22 a.m., hours before the estimated 11 a.m. opening time. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer