It's not often that a road project has to accommodate a kayak race. But the Interstate 29/35 Missouri River crossing is not just any stretch of pavement. The existing, humdrum Paseo Bridge is giving way to a $245 million landmark: the Christopher S. Bond Bridge, opening in 2011. During construction, passers-by can watch a hard-hat ballet — over water, no less. Workers take a barge out to the center of the river to build the pylon, which is more than 300 feet tall and shares the same silhouette as a Renuzit air freshener. Eventually, 40 cables will shoot out from the pylon, supporting 1,000 feet of bridge deck. Once Bond's namesake is completed, the Paseo Bridge will be taken apart, a job requiring far less time and effort. "Gravity helps you bring things down," says Tom Skinner, a senior bridge engineer at the Missouri Department of Transportation.
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