SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The three giant Gateway Arches that for 35 years told travelers that they were in Sioux City have come crashing down. Each 40-foot-tall, 36-ton structure was pushed over on Wednesday after dirt was dug from the base beneath them. Now they’re no longer in the way of a new Nebraska Street exit to be built as part of the ongoing Interstate 29 project.

The estimated $165,000 cost of moving and installing the arches elsewhere in the city ruled out proposals to save them. Joanne Grueskin led the community drive to build the arches in 1980, and she says they helped spur development of the Anderson Dance Pavilion and the riverfront bike trails. She says the arches well-served their purpose.