The Hoover Dam Bridge

The bridge is open to traffic, and has a sidewalk as part of the pedestrian and visitor amenities, which include a parking lot, trail, and interpretive plaza.

The Hoover Dam is an awesome engineering feat. It was built using three and one-quarter million cubic yards of concrete. That is enough concrete to pave a 16’ wide road from New York to San Francisco, CA. It took five years to complete. Add to it a bypass bridge and the Hoover Dam will become even more amazing.

The graceful, concrete arch designed to support the bridge is almost completed. Its curved shape spans the gap of Black Canyon. The bridge connect Arizona and Nevada, and create a faster route across the river.

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam video

The new bridge was referred to as the Hoover Dam Bypass Project, and is named the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. O’Callaghan was a former governor of Nevada and former executive editor of the Las Vegas Sun. Tillman was a professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals who joined the Army in 2002 and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. The Hoover bridge bypass re-route U.S. 93 traffic 1700 feet downstream from the dam. The bridge is suspended by a 1060 foot, twin-rib concrete arch, the largest of its kind in North America. It is 1900 feet long, at a height of 890 feet above the Colorado River.

The bridge will consist of four lanes and it will alleviate a number of problems associated with the current U.S. 93 that currently passes over the Hoover Dam. The narrow, winding two-lane road can no longer handle the 14,000 cars that pass over the dam daily causing congestion. The design of the road is dangerous with two hairpin turns, blind curves and pedestrian traffic. There are also vehicle restrictions on the Hoover Dam and loaded trucks and buses with luggage cannot pass over it. Since 9/11 trucks and other unauthorized vehicles had to go through Laughlin, NV to cross over the Colorado River. Other vehicles are subject to inspection due to increased security. The new bridge will speed up travel across the Colorado River and provide a much safer route.

The bridge portion is only one part of a much larger project. The approaches to the bridge on both sides have required a lot of money to build and some creative engineering. On the Arizona approach, a 900-foot bridge had to be built due to the terrain it crossed, adding $21.5 million in costs to the project. On the Nevada side there were six new bridges built at a cost of $30 million. There will also be a nearby parking and a pedestrian walkway on the bridge that promises spectacular views of the dam from a new perspective.

The total estimated project cost is $240 million. It is being funded by the federal government ($100 million); by Arizona and Nevada, who are each spending $20 million; and the balance will be paid for by bonds. The project was expedited after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack. Security on the dam is a big issue and this prompted the project to start sooner than originally intended. The bridge project was initiated in 2003 and construction began in 2005 and was open to traffic in October of 2010.

Read more about Hoover Dam and attractions close to it:

• Lake Mead and Hoover Dam video
• Hoover Dam
• The Colorado River Basin
• Glen Canyon Dam (video)
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area

 

 

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