Photos: The #101SlowJam Is Over, Four Hours Ahead Of Schedule

A swath of the 101 Freeway, which was closed starting at 10 p.m. on Friday to make way for the demolition of the 6th Street Bridge, has reopened—four hours ahead of schedule.

Mary Nemick of the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering told the L.A. Times that good weather and smooth-operating equipment allowed the process to be expedited. The 2.5-mile section of the freeway reopened around 10 a.m.

"This is great news for football fans," she said. "It gives everyone a little more time to get to their parties."

I didn't get any Super Bowl party invites, but thanks for rubbing it in, LAPD:

Councilmember Jose Huizar said in a statement, "While it is in many ways bittersweet to see the dismantling begin of the historic 6th Street Bridge, it is also symbolic of a new history that is emerging at that site - one that will bring a state-of-the art bridge and much-needed public space to Boyle Heights and the Arts District."

Yesterday's demolition of the 6th Street Bridge looked pretty crazy, and while only a section of the bridge is gone so far, it's disappearance from the 101 is quite striking.

We are reminded of the Joni Mitchell song that goes something like, "Don't it always seem to go/ that you don't know what you've got til it's gone/ they tore down a historic bridge/ to make it more earthquake-safe."