Demolition to delay turnpike drivers through at least 1 p.m. Sunday | Video

It's D-day for the old I-595 ramp to southbound Florida's Turnpike.

Drivers on Florida's Turnpike could continue to face slowdowns near Interstate 595 through at least midday Sunday as workers continue to demolish an old ramp.

Half of the 280-foot-long span over the turnpike's southbound lanes was knocked down on Saturday. Late Saturday and early Sunday, the other half over the northbound lanes was to come down.

From an area just north of the demolition, project manager Paul Lampley watched as chunks of debris fell from the bridge. Several pieces of heavy equipment, include backhoes with jackhammers, banged away at the bridge deck, removing 2,000 tons of steel-reinforced concrete, which will be recycled. A cushion of dirt protected the turnpike lanes below.

"It's a piece-by-piece process," Lampley said. "It went off without any problems."

Signs on I-95 coming out of Miami and as far as 50 miles away on the turnpike warned drivers to expect delays at I-595. Some turnpike drivers, however, got caught in a jam early Saturday.

On a typical day, 120,000 vehicles use that section of the turnpike, a popular route to and from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades, and a fast-moving alternative to the more congested I-95.

But two of the turnpike's three northbound and southbound lanes were closed at I-595 at 6 a.m. Saturday.

It didn't take long for northbound turnpike traffic to back up almost five miles to Hollywood Boulevard. Crew reopened a second northbound lane for a few hours Saturday morning to relieve the gridlock but closed the lane again about noon as demolition moved closer to the northbound lanes.

All lanes on the northbound turnpike closed at 5 p.m. Saturday and will remain closed until 1 p.m. Sunday. Traffic is being detoured onto I-595, State Road 7 and Sunrise Boulevard back to the turnpike. The southbound side will continue to get by the demolition in a single lane until 1 p.m. Sunday.

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Demolition to delay turnpike drivers through at least 1 p.m. Sunday | Video