FBI breaks ground on new Knoxville facility

Dozens of community leaders celebrated the latest milestone for Knoxville's FBI. The agency broke ground on its new local headquarters off Middlebrook Pike on Wednesday.

When finished, it will be three times the size of their current spot in the John Duncan Federal Building downtown.

It's part of an aggressive program to replace FBI field offices that no longer meet the organization's needs. The construction project will also bring jobs to the area.

It is set to be complete in June of 2009.

"Initially we were due to build in 1998, but because of the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9-11 event, our money was pulled back," Letitia Harper of the FBI's Administrative Office said. "We are very excited that we are on the forefront of getting our building. It's a big deal."

A similar ground breaking will happen in Denver on Thursday. It will be the 7th FBI field office under construction right now.