How many politicos does it take to break ground for a groundbreaking boulevard connecting the North Side with the edge of downtown Minneapolis? MPLS counted a baker's dozen of present and former elected officials Tuesday in the Harrison neighborhood for a groundbreaking ceremony for a project for which the contractor broke ground months ago. But the politician named most often wasn't there. That's Van White, the late alderman who represented the area for 10 years, and after whom the new north-south boulevard is named. He died in 1993, but his groundbreaking status as the City Council's first member of color was self-evident in other pols who attended. They included Congressman Keith Ellison, Council Member Don Samuels, state Rep. Bobby Joe Champion and former school board member Theartrice Williams, all North Side black elected officials who followed in White's footsteps. The pols in charge didn't address why it's taken so long to start work on the last segment of Van White Boulevard nor why it has ballooned in cost. The idea of a new link to make the area less isolated originated in 1999 with planning for redevelopment of the former North Side public housing projects. The current project began in March and isn't expected to be finished until the end of 2013. The route links the existing Dunwoody Boulevard southeast of Interstate 394 with Fremont Av. N., near Glenwood Avenue. The section of the boulevard north of Glenwood was completed several years ago in the construction of Heritage Park, the mixed-income community that replaced the projects. The boulevard's north end is at Plymouth Avenue. The $22 million bridge project includes two bridges, a 600-foot-long crossing over railroad tracks and a smaller crossing of Bassett Creek. The project includes space for pedestrians and bikers. But instead of twin one-way bridges over the railroad that were planned, there will be just one two-way bridge because that's all the project could afford. Traffic engineers say they think that will be sufficient to handle traffic for the next 20 years. Redevelopment of the Bassett Creek Valley could eventually generate enough traffic to require the second bridge. The project was complicated and more costly because of the spongy soils of the former glacial river valley it crosses, complicated land arrangements and contamination that needed to be cleaned from the area. One indication of the complexities is that the actual road and bridge construction accounts for only about half of the project's tab. Hennepin County has the most money in the project, funding arranged by departing Commissioner Mark Stenglein. But there's also substantial federal money, which acocunted for the presence of ontetime Congressman Martin Sabo. Also present among the formers was Jackie Cherryhomes, the council member who shepherded planning for the the area's redevelopment. The ceremony was intriguing in the context of the developing primary election contest for Stenglein's commissioner seat. Samuels sat front and center on the portable stage with political buddy and Mayor R.T. Rybak, and the White family. He got in the day's longest speech. His rival and the DFL endorsee, state Sen. Linda Higgins, got a back row seat and a non-speaking role.