More than a mile of cables, 9.2 million pounds of steel, just over three years in the making: work on the new Troup Howell Bridge is nearly complete. All six lanes are expected to open this week, with finishing touches wrapped up by the end of the month.

The statistics are impressive: 9624 steel bolts, 8617 cubic yards of concrete. More impressive still is the graceful beauty of the thing, the vision of engineers at Erdman Anthony of Rochester and architects at H2L2 Associates of Philadelphia - and the product of 30 ironworkers (who worked through all four seasons) and 20 other construction workers.

The $37 million suspension bridge replaces a span built in 1955 for $2.6 million. Part of a major east-west route, the Troup Howell carries 100,000 cars a day across the Genesee.

Photography by Joe Bell.