The four-lane Hoover Dam Bypass bridge between Nevada and Arizona will open later this week. This modern marvel (pictured here under construction from the dam side) boasts the world’s tallest concrete columns, is the second highest bridge in the United States, and is the longest arched concrete bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge cost $114 million to build, and has taken more than five years to build.
While the bridge idea has been under study since the late 1960s, increased traffic congestion and security concerns on the Hoover Dam sped the decision to construct it. After 9/11, no commercial trucks have been allowed to cross the dam, which led to a 75-mile detour of commercial traffic. The bridge, and associated work on U.S. 93 will greatly speed the time between Phoenix and Las Vegas, shaving at least 17 minutes off of prior routes with traffic light, and likely hours on busy holiday weekends.
The bold design of this bridge, alongside the massive Hoover Dam that has made life possible in this arid region, serves as a rallying point for infrastructure projects that have impact. The Hoover Dam opened more than 75 years ago, and marked a bold engineering feat that stands today as one of the more ambitious infrastructure projects, and great engineering. The opening of this new bridge renews feelings of progress and possibility.
