Construction set to begin on delayed maximum security prison

CANON CITY (AP) - Construction on a 948-bed maximum security prison will begin in November, more than four years after lawmakers approved funding to build it.

The Colorado State Penitentiary II, being built next to the Centennial correctional facility, is expected to open in early 2010.

Department of Corrections Executive Director Ari Zavaras says all contractors who would like to participate can do so.

Construction was delayed after a citizens group challenged the funding mechanism for what in 2003 was slated to be a $203 million project. The state prevailed in a recent court ruling, clearing the way for the project.