"Everybody in America knows about this bridge," Florida Congressman John Mica said.
More specifically everybody knows about the 35W bridge that came down 13 months ago. Wendnesday a group of Republican congressional leaders got a good look at the one that will soon take its place.
"Right now we're a little over 95-percent complete," project manager Jon Chiglo told the group.
As crews continued construction, the lawmakers-turned-tourists got answers about everything from the project's quicker timeline to its technology.
"If we're able to complete it by the 1st of October, it will be 10 months," Chiglo added.
"I'm very pleased to see the results of that cooperative effort," Mica, the Republican head of the Transportation Committee, said.
Lawmakers on the bridge called the Minnesota project a model for modernizing America's infrastructure.
"It's an important mission," Mica said.
"We have to step up and fund the infrastructure needs of this country. So this bridge is very important, not only to Minnesota and Minneapolis, but also to the nation," Representative Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania said.
An important example of a new way to address America's aging travel framework.
(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
