The last barrier was heavier than Eli expected.
He took his end with both hands, felt the effort it would require, and set it down again. His current restriction had not ended at the bridge. Anwar called one of the builders to carry the barrier off the approach with him. Eli walked ahead to keep the path clear while they set it beside the contractor’s van. Someone had tied a ribbon across the bridge rail overnight. Devika Shah had made them take it down before the morning check because the loose ends covered one of the bolts she needed to see.
Now the ribbon lay coiled on a folding chair. The bridge was open without it.
“That’s the official ceremony?” Anwar asked.
“The official ceremony has a microphone,” Devika said. “This is the opening.”
She held a clipboard against her coat. Wind off the river lifted the corners of the signed inspection sheets. The principal structural inspection was complete, the final approach check had passed, and the certificate covered the crossing as built. A separate sign stated the permitted vehicle load. The pedestrian path had its own clear width, drainage fall and rail height. Kellan had examined those measurements often enough that he was trying very hard not to examine them again in front of the engineer.
