New bridge to provide spectacular views of dam

By Richard N. Velotta

Friday, July 16, 2010 | 2 a.m.

The spectacular new observation deck 280 feet above Hoover Dam should be finished in a few months, allowing tourists to get photos that had previously been possible only from a helicopter.

The main purpose of the four-lane Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is to route traffic off the dam, of course. But motorists will find it difficult, if not impossible, to get snapshots of its vertigo-inducing views. That will require using the bridge’s sidewalk.

A final aspect of the $240 million project is pedestrian access.

People who want to walk on the bridge and get its eagle-eye view of the dam and the Colorado River 890 feet below will need to take an exit off U.S. 93 on the Nevada side of the river. The exit will take motorists to the existing road over the dam.

Before the final switchback into the canyon, there will be a turnoff to the right that will lead to a parking lot serving a pedestrian walkway to the bridge.

The lot is to have 65 parking spaces, plus four extra-large spaces to accommodate motor homes and buses.

Just off the parking lot will be a pedestrian plaza, interpretive exhibits and a switchback trail leading to a sidewalk to the bridge. From the parking lot, the trail is about 1,300 feet long on a gentle grade so it will be accessible to people with disabilities. The bridge across the gorge is 1,900 feet long, so a round-trip walk from the parking lot would be just over a mile if one walks all the way across the bridge.

Many people likely will want to do just that. The view “is going to be spectacular,” says Dave Zanetell, a Federal Highway Administration spokesman.

So spectacular, in fact, that the worry is 65 parking spaces won’t be enough for what’s bound to be a major attraction.

“We’ve done our best to forecast what we need, but visitorship at the dam varies significantly seasonally based on holiday periods, weather and other variables,” Zanetell says. “It’s going to have some ebb and flow.”

Parking lots on either side of the dam rarely fill to capacity, but plenty of visitors already want to get a look at the face of the dam, the water backed up behind it and that amazing bridge, which has been featured in a Dodge Ram truck TV commercial.

When dam traffic is heavy, it isn’t unusual for passengers to climb out of cars, snap a few pictures and climb back in while drivers wait for pedestrians in crosswalks on the dam.

The word from the Hoover Dam Bypass Project Management Team is that the bridge is scheduled to be completed in September and open to traffic by early November. The plan is to have the pedestrian access completed by then.

The first members of the public to get to enjoy the view from the bridge, though, will be bicyclists. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is planning its Viva Bike Vegas 2010 on Oct. 9 to benefit the Nevada Cancer Institute and the Greater Las Vegas After-School All-Stars. The event includes 23-mile, 50-mile and 110-mile bicycle rides throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

One highlight of the 110-mile trek — known as the “Century Ride” — is the chance to ride across the bridge.

For more information, go to the RTC's website.