WASHINGTON -
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray began his week touring one of the city's largest construction sites. The Marriott Marquis sits just across 9th Street from the D.C. Convention Center.
The building is massive, and will have nearly 1,200 rooms when it is complete. The hotel will also employ nearly 1,000 workers. 51 percent of them will be D.C. residents.
The main Marriott structure will rise 110 feet, but much of its meeting space is below ground. Developers say the hotel goes down so deep that workers have to carry oxygen tanks for safety as if it was a mining project.
Currently, there are 55 construction cranes erected across the District. Mayor Gray says the building boom is far from over. His administration continues to invite domestic and foreign investors to build in the District.
