for the very first stimulus project, replacing the old osage river bridge in missouri. >> it provided me training, it provided me financially stable months, it provided me a lot of stuff i would not have had otherwise. >> one, two, three. yea! [applause] >> reporter: and the project opened last fall when the new and improved bridge opened for business and the old bridge came down. the lead contractor on the bridge is grateful for the project but says work is hard to come by right now. >> we sent a bunch of our key guys home. they've been sitting home for three months now. p you know, guys that we would normally be working year round are at home just because we don't have the to support 'em. >> reporter: while republicans and democrats debate whether the stimulus worked, for those who got a paycheck for a while because of the stimulus, for them there is no debate. >> i think it was a good program. i don't think it followed