Mike O’Callaghan—Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

A 1,900-foot span across the Colorado River shadows the Hoover Dam

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Mike O’Callaghan—Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge Jamey Stillings/Sharponline

Temperatures upward of 115°F, winds capable of felling cranes, an 890-foot drop below: “Inhospitable” doesn’t begin to describe conditions at the Colorado River’s new Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.

A 1,900-foot span designed to divert traffic from the narrow, switchback-laden road across the Hoover Dam, it will be the longest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere when it opens next fall, with 106 segments of ultra-high-strength concrete forming a twin-rib arch. Workers scaled the canyon’s walls, digging notches for concrete foundation columns. To construct the 1,060-foot-long arch, they cast 24 feet of concrete at a time, while a separate, temporary cable-stayed bridge held up the unfinished ends until the gap was closed this year.

hooverdambypass.org

2 Comments

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stanley1948

11/18/09 at 5:06 pm

Although a brilliant designed and magnificently engineered, the now under construction bridge will bring with it a huge traffic congestion problem for travelers and the people of Southern Nevada once complete. Along with the rest of the aftermath of 911, traffic along Highway 93 to Hoover Dam has been limited to cars and light trucks only, with all heavy duty trucks and busses being routed away from the Dam. Once the bridge is open in late 2010 this traffic will again be allowed on Highway 93 connecting Northwest Arizona to Southern Nevada (Las Vegas). The state of Arizona has fully funded a widening, from 2 lane to 4 lane, of about 15 miles of Highway 93 now under construction in preparation for the Bridge completion. Only the State of Nevada has drug its feet in preparing for the opening of the new Bridge. The State of Nevada has done nothing but study the situation of how to manage increased vehicle traffic flow between Phoenix and Las Vegas through a 7 mile stretch of Highway 93 between Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. The problem being this stretch of Highway 93 is two lane road with multiple stops along the route.
It is a shame and an embarrassment for the State of Nevada to be responsible for spoiling an otherwise marvelous design and engineering effort.

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kookykev

11/19/09 at 7:30 am

Well I wish u many "i told you so's" if in the future thats correct,but Ive driven both NV and AZ roads extensively and in my humble opinion Nevada has some of the finest roadways in the entire US!

I think it might be a bit premature to shame a state for an embarrassment that hasnt yet occured.Arizonas widening might just turn out to be a waste of monies in these tough times and other arizona roads suffer,,,,,,

time will tell.......