Hoover Dam closed after attacks

Jeffrey Libby

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 | 11:13 a.m.

Hoover Dam was closed to all traffic this morning in response to terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and airline hijackings from cities around the nation.

It was the first time in history the dam, one of the major arteries between Nevada and Arizona, has been closed.

Travelers were being rerouted along U.S. 95 through Laughlin. No mail or deliveries were being accepted at the dam, and only essential power plant personnel were being allowed inside.

"With the mess we're having on the East Coast, we're concerned it could happen here, with this nationally critical infrastructure. It's very vital to the Southwest portion of the U.S.," Richard Melim, the Bureau of Reclamation's police chief said.

The restrictions were stricter than those put into place during World War II, when armed escorts accompanied motorists across the nation's largest dam and snipers watched traffic from pillboxes on the canyon walls.

The dam was closed about 9:30 this morning, but less stringent security measures had been put in place shortly after news of the terrorist attacks spread.

All tours were canceled early this morning and the visitor's center closed. All parking lots except the uppermost ones on the Arizona side were closed early on.

Before the closure, security, while heightened, appeared low key.

Patrols with binoculars were posted on the intake towers as lookouts. The usual 24-hour police staff was on duty. No extra officers had been called in.

Visitor's center employees were stationed across the dam, watching motorists pass and keeping an eye for trouble.

The Bureau of Reclamation also was monitoring Davis Dam in Laughlin and Parker Dam at Lake Havasu, spokeswoman Colleen Dwyer said.