Acting Governor Gregory R. Francis made a surprise visit to the site of the Mon Bijou Flood Mitigation Project Monday and said he was impressed with the progress made so far.

"I am very pleased to learn that the project is well underway and that the final phase will begin in a few weeks," Acting Governor Francis said.

The final phase of the Mon Bijou Flood project, which is primarily funded by the federal government, will consist of the construction of two bridges over the flood control channel, according to Tom Jones, onsite project engineer for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Mr. Jones, who met with Acting Governor Francis on Monday and updated him on the project, said the final phase will begin on March 19, 2007 and is expected to be completed in October. According to Mr. Jones, the phase will include relocating Highway 73 to a temporary bypass road and raising the intersection by at least six feet to construct the bridge. During this process, section of the Mon Bijou Road and Highway 73 will be closed and traffic rerouted.

Mr. Jones also complimented Acting Governor Francis on his expressed interest in the project. "It tells me that he will do all he can to move this process along," he said.

Acting Governor Francis noted the progress and highlighted the many flooding issues in the past to residents of Mon Bijou that created the need for the flood channel and bridge. "This is long overdue," he said.

The acting governor, who has only been in office for about two months, said that surprise visits to various projects, department and agencies is something that is likely to continue during his term.

"These visits give me a real sense of the problem, if there are any, but also of the progress this government is making," Acting Governor Francis said, adding that he is fulfilling his campaign commitment to be out in the community.