Hoover Dam Bypass

[joerockhead]

Who here has ever seen Hoover Dam? Then you have most likely traveled across it. A great way to get to Vegas!!! :bowrofl:


Well, this is very cool!! -

THE WIDER VIEW: Taking shape, the new bridge at the Hoover Dam

Creeping closer inch by inch, 900 feet above the mighty Colorado River, the two sides of a $160 million bridge at the Hoover Dam slowly take shape.
The bridge will carry a new section of US Route 93 past the bottleneck of the old road which can be seen twisting and winding around and across the dam itself.

When complete, it will provide a new link between the states of Nevada and Arizona . In an incredible feat of engineering, the road will be supported on the two massive concrete arches which jut out of the rock face.

The arches are made up of 53 individual sections each 24 feet long which have been cast on-site and are being lifted into place using an improvised high-wire crane strung between temporary steel pylons.

The arches will eventually measure more than 1,000 feet across. At the moment, the structure looks like a traditional suspension bridge. But once the arches are complete, the suspending cables on each side will be removed. Extra vertical columns will then be installed on the arches to carry the road.
The bridge has become known as the Hoover Dam bypass, although it is officially called the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, after a former governor of Nevada and an American Football player from Arizona who joined the US Army and was killed in Afghanistan.
Work on the bridge started in 2005 and should finish next year. An estimated 17,000 cars and trucks will cross it every day.

The dam was started in 1931 and used enough concrete to build a road from New York to San Francisco. The stretch of water it created, Lake Mead, is 110 miles long and took six years to fill. The original road was opened at the same time as the famous dam in 1936.

An extra note: The top of the white band of rock in Lake Mead is the old waterline prior to the drought and development in the Las Vegas area. It is over 100 feet above the current water level.


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[SGMax]

VERY cool. Touring the underground plant is something I'll never forget. Thanks for sharing!

[Graffin]

Wow, looks freakin' cool. Have to check that out next time I'm in Vegas.

[fmb]

Good story you found, JRH. I spent the last week in Vegas and came through the Hoover Dam area this past Thursday. The work the DOT is doing is slowly coming along. This project is very slowly coming along. Originally, the entire project (expanding road from two-to-four lanes, several bridges, and a wildlife bridge) was scheduled for completion in 2007. It isn't anywhere no close to being finished. My guess is they're about 60% completed. Here are some photos I took from the top of the dam:

View of the bridge span from the top of the dam:
http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/1910/m_2069.jpg

Here's looking at the river below the dam. Note how small the vehicles look!
http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/1910/m_2068.jpg

Here's a photo of the lake, taken from the top of the dam near one of the parking areas. http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/1910/m_2067.jpg

Here's a photo of the Department of the Interior logo on one of the interpretive buildings.
http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/1910/m_2074.jpg

[joerockhead]

Thanks FMB! Great pics!

[Juan.Camaney]

Interesting part is that they started building the bridge at both sides and are meeting in the middle. Talk about tight tolerances. The bridge im working on has 2 inch busts at times and its nowhere near that complicated.

[Patito]

Looks cool, I'm curious since I've never driven across it... was the bottleneck created by the current twisting road really that bad to need to spend $160 million on a bypass?

[MightyZeus]

Yes it has
I have been there twice. First time was pre-9/11 (1999) and was in the off season I guess. Not a lot of traffic. Toured it somewhat and you had a little freedom to look around freely.

Travelled there again in 2002 and WOW what a difference. Traffic was a nightmare and Security level is MUCH more strict. There are metal detectors around for some of the areas, and you are not as free to roam around as much any more.

Here's a picture of those towers in 1999
See how much higher the water was then
http://apps.smtyler.com/vegas07.gif

[fmb]

Looks cool, I'm curious since I've never driven across it... was the bottleneck created by the current twisting road really that bad to need to spend $160 million on a bypass?

MightyZeus is correct about the bypass and additional lanes being needed. The amount of traffic passing through the area is tremendous. In addition, semi-trucks crossing the dam had a hell of a curve to contend with on the Arizona side. After 9/11, security measures precluded semi trucks and other large commercial vehicles from crossing the dam. Commercial traffic is forced to detour using an alternate, longer highway. The new road will allow tourists to exit and visit the dam while the majority of traffic bypasses the dam and associated visitors centers, etc. Also, the current road is two lanes; the new road will be four lanes.

MightyZeus, thank you for the older picture. Your photo shows the tremendous lowering of the lake level.

[mstad]

That's where Megatron lives.

[joerockhead]

That's where Megatron lives.

:sad2: