Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa says the city of Los Angeles saved $700,000 by not using emergency services and traffic control for another full shift.

Kulka says Kiewit will use the money to help pay for the extra costs of demolishing the two columns when the project resumes.

With this half of the bridge down, Kiewit will now begin planning on the demolition of the other half in about six months, says Kulka. He says this section of the bridge project will be more complicated because it is larger and involves the tearing down of four columns instead of two.

The demolition of the Mulholland Bridge is part of a $1-billion expansion to the 405 to add a northbound high-occupancy vehicle lane between the I-10 and U.S. 101 freeways. The project is a joint effort between Metro and Caltrans. It is being constructed by Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. on a $740 million contract. Work is scheduled for completion in 2013.