Crews began dismantling the historic Apollo-era rocket at the Alabama welcome center on Interstate 65 on Thursday, an expected development that begins the final steps of removing a Huntsville-area space travel icon.

The fate of the deteriorating Saturn 1B rocket had long been determined by NASA and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville and crews had removed the top portion of the rocket with cranes as traffic rushed past on the interstate. Alabama state troopers alerted drivers to the construction with a cruiser sitting on the shoulder with its strobe lights flashing.

Two cranes stood next to the rocket with cables attached to lift pieces from where the rocket has stood for more than 40 years.

According to the rocket center, which has been charged by NASA with dismantling the rocket, the escape tower was removed Wednesday. The rocket center said it’s expected to take four to five weeks to complete the dismantling of the 168-foot tall rocket.

The engines from the rocket had previously been removed by NASA.

D.H. Griffin is the contractor for the disassembly.

Plans were finalized in August to take down the rocket.