Arch Bridge and Hoover Dam
by Robert Bales
Title
Arch Bridge and Hoover Dam
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
The Mike O'Callaghan Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is an arch bridge in the United States that spans the Colorado River between the states of Arizona and Nevada. The bridge is located within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and carries U.S. Route 93 over the Colorado River. Opened in 2010, it was the key component of the Hoover Dam Bypass project, which rerouted US 93 from its previous routing along the top of Hoover Dam and removed several hairpin turns and blind curves from the route. It is jointly named for Mike O'Callaghan, Governor of Nevada from 1971�1979, and Pat Tillman, a football player who left his football career with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the United States Army and was later killed in Afghanistan.
As early as the 1960s, officials identified the US 93 route over Hoover Dam to be dangerous and inadequate for projected traffic volumes. From 1998�2001, officials from Arizona, Nevada, and several federal government agencies collaborated to determine the best routing for an alternative river crossing. In March 2001, the Federal Highway Administration selected the route, which crosses the Colorado River approximately 1,500 feet (460 m) downstream of Hoover Dam. Construction of the bridge approaches began in 2003, and construction of the bridge itself began in February 2005. The bridge was completed in 2010 and the entire bypass route opened to vehicle traffic on October 19, 2010.
The bridge was the first concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States,[citation needed] and it incorporates the widest concrete arch in the Western Hemisphere. At 840 feet (260 m) above the Colorado River, it is the second-highest bridge in the United States, following the Royal Gorge Bridge. The Hoover Dam Bypass project was completed within budget at a cost of $240 million; the bridge portion cost $114 million.
The graceful, concrete arch is designed to support the bridge. Its curved shape spans the gap of Black Canyon. The bridge connects Arizona and Nevada, and creates a faster route across the river. It's open to traffic, and has a sidewalk as part of the pedestrian and visitor amenities, which include a parking lot, trail, and interpretive plaza.
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May 16th, 2013
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Comments (25)
Carl Deaville
I live in the Las Vegas Valley and have been to this exact spot on more than one occasion.......You have captured the perfect combination of it all..........Congratulations on your sale and this wonderful shot.
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Carl for the great comment and the congrats on the sale. I see this on my trips from Idaho to Arizona.
Linda Phelps
V. Nice capture on the bridge. It is nice you were able to include part of the dam. It was a great cloud day! Personally i think they spoiled the view with the addition of this bridge.
Robert Bales replied:
Yes they did, but that must be progress and thanks for the vote and the review!!
Donna Kennedy
Congratulations Robert! Your fabulous image has been Featured in our Group Nevada Scenery-Wildlife-Nature! Also added my f/v :))
Inspired Nature Photography By Shelley Myke
Congratulations on all of your features of this image Robert. Voted.