A ribbon-cutting ceremony set for today will celebrate the opening of the Red Gate Bridge in St. Charles. Its building has been an effort that has survived years of debate, as opponents questioned its purpose and have said it might drive potential customers away from the city’s downtown businesses.

But supporters have touted it as a chance to ease traffic and offer another way to connect the east and west sides of the city on the north end.

The process illustrates how difficult it can be to achieve such a project, and Elburn residents can relate. In Elburn, the long-discussed project to extend Anderson Road and build a bridge over the Union Pacific tracks has stalled.