Take a look at "the bridge of the future"--sturdy and stunningly graceful, the new Clark Bridge spans the Mississippi at Alton, Illinois, linking the old river town with the promise of prosperity. "It's beautiful," sighs an old-timer at the grand opening. "I can't imagine how they got those giant cables through the top. I would have liked to be around to see it."

Now, in this two-hour special, you can see how they did it. Play sidewalk supervisor at one of the world's most remarkable and risky bridge projects ; a rare example of what is known as cable-stayed design, an innovative variation on the suspension bridge. Zoom in on every phase of the four-year construction (with time out for dredging a sunken barge and weathering the worst Mississippi flood in modern history). See divers lay intricate underwater foundations, builders erect massive towers in frigid temperatures, workers hang huge cables to support the roadway (300 feet up, and just a fraction of an inch to spare), and freak winds threaten to topple the entire structure before the last gaps are closed. Says one contractor of the project's unique challenges, "It's about one step away from going to Las Vegas and rolling dice."

Special DVD features include access to the NOVA website, scene selections, and closed captions.