Construction on the new Hwy. 61 bridge over the Mississippi River at Hastings has been halted. Jon Solberg, senior planner for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said work is being forced to halt because state workers who inspect work and materials on the $120 million project were deemed not essential. Without the inspectors, work can't continue. The project has been hampered by floods both last fall and this spring. Now it faces a delay at human hands. Traffic continues via the bridge that is being replaced.

Some of the most urgent concern in Washington County relates to a massive road project in Forest Lake. The $16.4 million county undertaking depends on state inspectors to certify materials used in rebuilding Broadway Avenue and a connecting freeway interchange over Interstate 35.

All work on the overpass and temporary ramps, situated in a state right of way, was suspended Friday, said County Engineer Wayne Sandberg. Workers filled excavations planned for footings and removed equipment.

"Just kind of mothballing everything on that bridge," he said.

Washington County will continue rebuilding the Broadway Avenue portion of the bridge, but expects to pay from $50,000 to $100,000 to hire private firms to inspect materials while state inspectors are off the job, Sandberg said. Additional costs to the county could come from having to restart the project, renegotiate construction incentive payments to contractors, and deal with claims for lost time.

The project is funded by federal dollars administered by state government. If the shutdown should last longer than two weeks, he said, the delay most like would push completion of the project into next spring. Doing so would threaten the welfare of dozens of businesses along Broadway Avenue that are trying to survive through construction.

The county has planned to finish the project by late in the fall.

Washington County's challenge would be similar to any Minnesota county trying to complete road projects, Sandberg said.

"Any project that has federal dollars is going to have this issue."

JIM ANDERSON and KEVIN GILES