PITTSBURGH -- The construction of the North Shore Casino gets back on track with a topping-off ceremony on Thursday.

A few months ago it was uncertain if the casino would even be finished because of funding problem with the previous developer, Don Barden.

The state gaming board got involved and approved the transfer of Pittsburgh’s only gambling license from Barden to Chicago billionaire Neil Blum.

On Thursday a ceremonial topping off of the casino was held and Gov. Ed Rendell was one of the people attending.

There are now 380 worker working double shifts on the project, but that number is expected to double soon.

The scheduled opening is still set for August 2009.

According to the project's manager, the original $480 million price tag for the casino remains unchanged.

Gambling revenue from the casino is expected to mean lower property taxes for people living in Allegheny County.

Rendell told a group of senior citizens in Homewood that property taxes have been totally eliminated for 113,000 senior homeowners across the state as a result of legalized slot machines.