WBRZ - Baton Rouge

The last beams connecting the east and west spans of the John James Audubon Bridge are now in place on.

There is now one continuous structure over the Mississippi River. The bridge will connect St. Francisville and New Roads once it opens next summer.

Project engineers say it's the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The cable supported span is more than 1,580 feet long with theentire elevated structure being 3.5 miles long.

Pointe Coupee Chamber member Scott Byrd says additional traffic should help retailers on both sides of the river. This is the only crossing between Natchez and Baton Rouge.

Time Lapse Video by OxBlue.