WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Team 5 Investigates found that even as the economy has been in the doldrums, one state construction project has been dragging on for more than seven years, costing taxpayers almost $10 million.

The renovation of a Wellesley bridge was never supposed to take as long as it has, and it's not the only case costing Massachusetts taxpayers money.

The sign on the contractor's trailer boasts 728 days without lost work time, but this bridge has already lost years in the making.

"It's been horrible," said one Wellesley motorist.

"It's not been done in an efficient manner," said another.

"We're just waiting with bated breath," said a third.

Renovation of the historic bridge at the intersection of Routes 16 and 9 has been in progress since 2003.

"The estimate for this project was two years. That, to me, is a reasonable period of time," said Wellesley state Rep. Alice Peisch.

But a history of setbacks has made the Wellesley bridge project notorious.

"It's enormously frustrating for me," Peisch said.

So how could this project have gone so wrong and moved so slowly? Some said it's the quintessential bureaucratic boondoggle.

A full year was lost when the contractor went bankrupt, then there was another year of planning to preserve utility lines.

An initial cost of more than $5 million climbed in 7 years to $12 million.

"It's one of those that will stand out as an example that we don't want to repeat," said Massachusetts Department of Transportation engineer Frank Tramontozzi.

The state acknowledges they were dogged by these problems on many projects for years. Contractors weren't pre-screened, utility issues weren't resolved. And taxpayers are still footing the bill.

"It's not acceptable. It's not acceptable to the governor and it's not acceptable to the general public," Tramontozzi said.

The same contractor on the Wellesley bridge bailed out on the Winter st. Bridge in Waltham. The result? An initial completion date of 2005 is now extended to 2011, at a cost of well over $22 million, but the state insists it's a new deal today.

"Pre-qualification is something that's stringent now and that's our gauge as to whether a contractor can complete a contract of a particular set," Tramontozzi said.

As for the waiting game in Wellesley, a projected date of completion is this summer.

"I will believe it when I see it," said a Wellesley resident.

With all the problems in Wellesley, the Department of Transportation told Team 5 they plan to prove how much they've improved. Next summer, they plan to replace another bridge in Wellesley in one weekend.