WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday for a project to build a bridge in the hope of restoring water flow to the Everglades.

The Tamiami trail was built in 1928 with the hope of connecting Miami to Tampa, but the road cut off important water flow in the river of grass. The Everglades Skyway project on U.S. 41 is intended to breathe life into the Everglades.

The groundbreaking marked the elevation of the Tamiami Trail and the end of 20 years of planning. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined state officials in kicking off the construction of the Tamiami Bridge, an $80 million federally funded project that will turn 1 mile of the Tamiami Trail into the bridge, allowing fresh water to flow from north to south.

"The water flow has to be restored back to this river of grass. This 1-mile bridge is a first step in making that restoration happen," Salazar said.

The bridge is part of a much larger $12 billion restoration effort in the Everglades, but the bridge has become symbolic of the challenges the project has faced.

In 2005, the initial plan included two bridges stretching for all 11 miles of the trail, but high costs ended the project, disappointing environmentalists.

"The reality here is that if we can have 11 miles, that would be perfect. That would make everything seamless in terms of the way the water flows into the Everglades," said Mark Kraus of the Everglades Foundation.

In 2008, the Miccosukee Tribe, which lives around the proposed project area, got a federal judge to halt the plan until more environmental studies could be done.

"The water that needs to be restored to the south of us cannot be restored until the flood protection barriers are built along western Miami-Dade," said Dexter Lehtinen, who represents the Miccosukee Tribe.

"It is going to work. I am absolutely confident that we are on the right track," Salazar said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing the project, which is expected to take two years to complete.