# Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge



## Janh (Jan 1, 2011)

During my visit to Las Vegas Christmas 2010 I couldn't resist a trip to see the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge which I had seen constructed the year previously. It had opened in October 2010. This was how it looked December 2009 from the Hoover Dam,



and here's a series of on-top-of-the-bridge pics from December 2010 here.



It was one of the most scariest pieces of pavement I had ever walked across, the feeling of space and suspension in the air really played on my nervousness. The walkway runs along the Hoover Dam-side of the bridge from Nevada but is closed on the Arizona side. What surprised me was how open the walkway was with a 5 foot balustrade and nothing more. I was wondering how long before the adventurous or desperate decide to jump off it.

I was impressed with the explanatory plates that had been erected on the site. The bridge is dedicated to an ex-Nevadan educator, governor, newspaper editor, and decorated Korean war vet, Mike O'Callaghan. 

The second dedication is for an Arizona pro-footballer with the NFL, Pat Tillman who gave up his lucrative career to fight for his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was killed (by friendly fire under controversial circumstances). Reading their biographies made me feel that these were big characters indeed, worthy of the memorial.


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## blueplume (Jan 1, 2011)

wow, very impressive! i would have had a big vertigo + the kind of feeling you have on a roller coaster, something in your tommy... do any people bike it?


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## editor (Jan 1, 2011)

Wow. Amazing pics. I can't see your gallery though.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 1, 2011)

Great pics.  Bigger would be better though


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## Janh (Jan 1, 2011)

editor said:


> Wow. Amazing pics. I can't see your gallery though.


 
My apologies. I was having difficulty linking while drafting this post.  Try this link instead


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## Janh (Jan 1, 2011)

blueplume said:


> wow, very impressive! i would have had a big vertigo + the kind of feeling you have on a roller coaster, something in your tommy... do any people bike it?


 
I remember seeing pics on the Las Vegas Sun website of a big charity bike ride before the official opening. It's a public road so you can bike it. Though you'd have to dismount or go to the visitor's area to walk the pedestrian walkway as the concrete barrier on the road gives a feeling of security and blocks your view of the gorge below.


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## Janh (Jan 3, 2011)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> ...Bigger would be better though


 
The story of my life


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## Janh (Feb 1, 2011)

A lovely picture from the NY Times



...to celebrate 500 not out


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## Gavin Bl (Feb 3, 2011)

Wow, I'd driven over the dam a couple of times, but had no idea about the bridge. Man, that is one of the hottest places I've ever been to.


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## trashpony (Feb 3, 2011)

Bloody hell that looks amazing. I got stuck in a really bad traffic jam on the Hoover dam and had to wee in my coolbox


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## Janh (Feb 4, 2011)

Well, they're still experiencing traffic jams despite the new bridge because of the bottleneck on US93 at the Boulder City side. A bypass is being planned according to the wonderfully named Kingman Daily Miner newspaper.

Best to visit early morning or late in the day to avoid the tourist rush.


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## Kanda (Feb 4, 2011)

It had been snowing last time I was there


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## ska invita (Feb 5, 2011)

i read something about how the water level is going down and down and down and down and down and down there... is it the colorado river?alll the pools in california, all the water in vegas etc. - unless they get some serious rains the desert is going to reclaim the lot it would seem. Oh, I guess theres always the option of water wars too.

In that pic you can see where the water level has dropped - the white section along the bank


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## 1927 (Feb 5, 2011)

ska invita said:


> i read something about how the water level is going down and down and down and down and down and down there... is it the colorado river?alll the pools in california, all the water in vegas etc. - unless they get some serious rains the desert is going to reclaim the lot it would seem. Oh, I guess theres always the option of water wars too.
> 
> In that pic you can see where the water level has dropped - the white section along the bank


  Thing is the fall in water level has occurred over just the last 5-6 years I was there in 2005 and the water was as high as it could get without running out of the overflow type affair.


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## Janh (Feb 5, 2011)

Nevada seems to be quite resourceful about getting water in from other places. Read The Economist's recent article. They have this cool pic of the "bath tub ring" too.

Why the Vegas residents have lawns and sprinklers is beyond me, since they live in a desert I feel they should embrace desert planting. Looks much more appropriate imo.


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## Janh (Feb 8, 2011)

*Walk Across the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge Photos*

From the Las Vegas Review Journal this one for the _I can't believe people are so stupid_ box:



> The bridge was designed so tall concrete walls block drivers' views of the dam and canyon from the deck, but apparently that hasn't stopped interested motorists from slowing down or even stopping. Readers have reported witnessing vehicles actually pulling over on the bridge and motorists jumping across the wall to the walkway to take in the view of the dam.



 OMG

More pics of this great structure HERE




this view of the shadow on the dam is ace


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## pk (Feb 11, 2011)

That's some awesome pictures there. Bit daft that people are able to pull over and hop the ridge to get a look though. Poor design there. But the Hoover Dam is on my list of must-visit places next time I fly Stateside.


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## Janh (Feb 16, 2011)

*Fast-track project to bypass Hoover Dam bottleneck announced*

A great 'can do' quote from the project manager to divert traffic from the bottleneck traffic at the new bridge



> “This is an extremely expedited, fast-track project with no room for error.”



He claims to build the Boulder bypass starting in the summer and ending by Thanksgiving, that's moving.

This is where the bottleneck occurs at the western approach to the bridge



and this green route shows the Boulder bypass, black is the existing route with the bridge just off the pic top right.


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## Janh (Feb 23, 2011)

*Sheep get bridge*


Sheep crossing

The Las Vegas Sun comes up with some fine images of the latest subject associated with the Bridge, namely sheep. Desert longhorn sheep, specifically, which now have their very own bridges in Arizona to cross the Hoover Dam bypass road, the US93.

Their aim is to maintain a healthy sheep population and traffic safety. A spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department said 





> “I don’t want to get ahead of the game, but this is a significant marker of the project’s potential for success,” he said. “Seeing those pictures really got me excited. It’s a great first step.”


 It's hard not to agree.


This helicopter shot looks straight out of the A-Team.


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## kyser_soze (Feb 23, 2011)

Fucking sweet. I'm on a stag to Vegas in June and this might serve as a good day trip away from the slots...


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## Janh (Feb 25, 2011)

It'll take a few hours, the bridge is about 35miles from the strip. 

A tour of the dam would be great. Haven't done that yet but something to look forward to.


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## mancboy (Feb 25, 2011)

Great photos. Thanks mate.

And I will now have this:



in my head all day.


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## Janh (Mar 1, 2011)

mancboy said:


> Great photos. Thanks mate.
> 
> And I will now have this:
> 
> ...




Great tune, too bad the video is restricted. Try  instead.


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## Kanda (Mar 1, 2011)

kyser_soze said:


> Fucking sweet. I'm on a stag to Vegas in June and this might serve as a good day trip away from the slots...


 
Easily done. I done the Hoover Dam then drove 200 miles north of Vegas to Area 51 and back to Vegas in the same day.


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## kyser_soze (Mar 2, 2011)

Fuck yeah! I'd forgotten about Area 51


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## Janh (Jul 8, 2011)

*7th July 1930 work starts to build the Hoover Dam*

There's some video footage at this link of the building of the Hoover Dam which started yesterday in 1930. 

Scroll in 34 seconds of this video from History.com.


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