RICHMOND, Vt. (AP) — After more than a year of planning using computers, laser levels and measuring devices accurate to a fraction of a millimeter, it took engineers with tape measures and construction workers with sledgehammers to finally bring the 83-year-old Checkered House Bridge into the 21st century.

On Monday, workers cut the historic 350-foot U.S. Route 2 bridge in two lengthwise by unbolting the braces holding the trusses together and began the process of pushing the sides apart to widen the span by 12 ½ feet.