Post file Technicians inspect one of 102 bunkers at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, where some 780,078 mustard-gas bombs await destruction in a yet-to-be-built $1.6 billion plant. But some in Pueblo worry that funding the plant is not a federal priority.

Pueblo - Behind a tall, razor-wire- topped fence, some of America's most dangerous chemical weapons are stored inside 102 casket-shaped igloos covered with earth.

Inside the house-sized humps, 780,078 mustard-gas munitions born at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal more than a half century ago await their deaths.

Their demise will be met in a new $1.6 billion chemical weapons destruction plant. Initial construction is expected to begin by January. More than 400 people attended a groundbreaking celebration Saturday at Colorado State University- Pueblo.

The plant is the largest public project in southern Colorado since the Pueblo Reservoir was completed in 1975. It is expected to be a boon in that it will eliminate dangerous weapons and bring an economic boost to the area. Nevertheless, questions remain about whether the project will be fully funded.

Destruction of the 105mm and 155mm projectiles and 4.2-inch mortar rounds will provide the biggest economic boost to the area since the glory days of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., which was the primary source of Pueblo's jobs for decades.

At the height of operations, the plant will employ 800 to 1,000 people.

The United States saw the need for the mustard-gas weapons after World War I, when the Germans in 1917 used them to cripple their enemies. The weapons blistered skin and lungs, and those who ingested large amounts of chemicals died.

"It's a huge, huge step in the right direction," said Ross Vincent, a Pueblo resident and Sierra Club member.

His enthusiasm, though, is tempered with concern that money will not be available for continuous construction.

The Pueblo Chemical Depot expected to receive $151.6 million for fiscal year 2005 but received only $50 million.

The financial demands of the Iraq war could stall destruction of the weapons, some fear.

"The whole chemical demilitarization program has become a stepsister to the war in Iraq," Vincent said. "If there isn't enough money, we're the ones that are going to take the hit."

A spokeswoman for Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said it's too early to know how much money will be available for fiscal year 2006.

The budget won't be made public until February.

Bechtel, one of the world's leading engineering, construction and project-management companies - the same firm helping to rebuild infrastructure in Iraq - is responsible for design, construction, systemization, pilot testing and operations at the new Pueblo plant.

Beginning in December or January, 50 to 100 construction workers will begin clearing land; construction could be completed by early 2007. Plans call for it to close by 2013.

"I wish it was already over," said Eppy Solano, 54, a resident of nearby Avondale. "The only good thing is it's going to bring jobs here for about 15 years."

Safety measures have already been taken to protect residents who live in Avondale and Boone, communities of 800 people each.

Tone alert radios are in each home and notify residents of emergencies.

Nineteen 50-foot towers that also blast emergency tones and provide emergency information in English and Spanish dot the landscape.

The ventilation systems at nearby Avondale Elementary can be sealed with the push of a button.

"I'm only 2 miles from the depot, and if there was an incident over there and the wind was blowing from north to south, yes, I'd be worried. But if it's south to north, no," Solano said. "It all depends on Mother Nature."

Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com .