Everglades restoration project groundbreaking set

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Officials are marking the start of construction on a long-delayed project intended to help restore more natural water flow into Everglades National Park.

The government plans to build a one-mile bridge along the Tamiami Trail, a roadway which cuts across South Florida from Miami to Tampa, and has acted as a virtual dam to the once free-flowing waters of the Everglades.

The project has been mired by lawsuits. A ceremony was set for Friday.

Environmentalists hail it as a key element in helping restore the Everglades ecosystem, which has been poisoned by farms and development. Its waters have been diked and diverted for flood control.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, however, who live in the region, claim the project could lead to "irreparable destruction."

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