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Cross-country drive on 2 gallons of gas
VENICE, Italy, May 9 (UPI) -- Engineers in Venice are testing a new bridge in an aircraft hangar to make sure its weight won't collapse the banks of the Grand Canal.
The unusual step is likely to delay the bridge, the first new one for the city in 70 years, a correspondent for (Britain's) Independent reported.
"We have taken these precautions on account of the well-known fragility of the canal's banks, bearing in mind that Venice is not built on rock but on the contrary has a tendency to sink," said Mara Rumiz, in charge of public works.
The structure was designed by engineer and architect Santiago Calatrava of Spain, and was originally budgeted to cost $5.5 million. Delays over the years have shot the current cost up past $13 million, and the latest need to test its weight distribution will add another $1 million to the cost, the report said.
Calatrava, 55, designed the 2004 Olympic Stadium in Athens.
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SECAUCUS, N.J., May 29 (UPI) --
Field Station: Dinosaurs, a theme park featuring 31 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, opened to the public during the weekend in Secaucus, N.J.
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Lost in an increasingly heated debate about U.S. immigration reform is a growing problem of immigrant mental and emotional health, a public-health doctor says.
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Ugg creates line of wedding boots … Elvis' original crypt headed for auction … Police: Facebook pic led to robbery … Pot donated to charity sells for $565K … Watercooler stories from UPI.
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NEW YORK, May 29 (UPI) --
Oil prices topped $91 a barrel of crude Tuesday morning with equities higher in Asia and Europe.
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