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A tourist takes photos with the recently opened Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge in the background Wednesday, October 20, 2010.
By Rich Coleman, Kyle B. Hansen (contact) 
Published Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 | 6:23 p.m.
Dedication of Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge
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The Hoover Dam bypass bridge is officially completed. Federal and state dignitaries from Nevada and Arizona dedicated the 1,900-foot-long bridge Thursday, October 14, 2010.
Sun archives
- Bridging America event draws thousands (10-16-2010)
- Hoover Dam bypass bridge gets warm welcome at dedication (10-14-2010)
- Bicyclists get early glimpse of Hoover Dam bypass bridge (10-9-10)
- 2,000 bicyclists expected for Las Vegas fundraiser (10-8-10)
- Hoover Dam bypass bridge dedication planned next week (10-7-2010)
- Construction on Hoover Dam bypass bridge quickly coming to a close (8-19-2010)
- Bicyclists set to be first to cross Hoover Dam bypass bridge (5-22-2010)
- Officials reach milestone on Hoover Dam bypass (5-20-2010)
- Bridge is part journey and part destination (8-14-2010)
- Hoover Dam bypass bridge inches toward completion (8-1-2009)
- Hoover Dam bypass bridge yields new approach for big rigs (6-15-2009)
- New bridge may require more emergency services (5-22-2009)
- Worker dies at Hoover Dam bypass bridge project (11-25-2008)
The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the western hemisphere’s longest single-span concrete arch bridge, officially opened Tuesday night.
The 1,900-foot-long bridge is part of a $240 million, four-lane bypass that will reroute traffic for 3.5 miles from the two-lane bottleneck on U.S. 93 across the Hoover Dam.
National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz said the northbound lanes of the bridge opened about 9 p.m. Tuesday in Arizona and the bridge fully opened at 10 p.m.
Security concerns after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks led authorities to ban commercial trucks from traveling across the dam, forcing truck drivers on the route to use a 75-mile detour.
The new Hoover Dam bypass will shorten the route for commercial shippers along the major trade corridor and reduce traffic congestion. Officials estimate the bridge will reduce the average trip between Las Vegas and Phoenix by more than 30 minutes. The speed limit on the bridge and bypass is 55 mph.
The bridge is named for Mike O’Callaghan, a former Nevada governor and executive editor of the Las Vegas Sun, and Pat Tillman, an Arizona Cardinals football player who joined the Army and was killed in Afghanistan. Both died in the spring of 2004.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood dedicated the bridge in a Thursday ceremony last week and thousands of people attended a public celebration Saturday.
The bridge offers a unique view of the Hoover Dam, but only for people who get out and walk across the bridge. For passengers in most cars, the bridge’s sidewalls are too high to see the dam or much of anything else, helping to prevent people from slowing down or stopping on the bridge’s travel lanes.
But a public parking lot off the old U.S. 93 route near the dam has a path that leads to a sidewalk on the north side of the bridge for people to admire the view.
The old road over the Hoover Dam is open for tourists who want to drive across the dam and use the parking lots on the Arizona side of the river, but visitors will have to drive back across the dam and up to the interchange near the Hacienda Casino to get back onto U.S. 93. The highway no longer connects to the dam in Arizona.
Transportation officials have also issued warnings for motorists who use the bridge.
Because of the cool air under the bridge, officials said the bridge is more likely to be slippery and have icy spots than a regular roadway in the winter.
The canyon is also an area that frequently has high winds, officials said. High-profile vehicles such as trucks, RVs, campers and buses will not be allowed on the bridge if winds are more than 50 mph. Advisories will be posted on digital message signs near the bridge when needed, officials said.
While the main bypass project is complete, work on U.S. 93 in Arizona will continue until the end of the year, officials said.
Arizona is widening 15 miles of U.S. 93 south of the bridge. Once that project is done, U.S. 93 will be a four-lane highway from just outside Boulder City to Wickenburg, Ariz., about 200 miles away, officials said.
Chunky says:
Happy Day and he looks forward to a trip over the bridge!
Thanks to all the workers and people who made this project a reality. Chunky takes back all the bad things he muttered in the past while waiting in traffic jams to cross the dam during construction.
That's what Chunky thinks!
What an amazing feat of planning and construction! I can hardly wait for my first trip across it. Thanks to everyone that made this happen.
I wonder how much time the bridge will save? Any guesses?
JerryWayne,
We just updated the story with some info on that, but here's a little more detail:
Officials said the bridge will save a minimum of 10 minutes, but that is based on there being no traffic on the dam, which almost never happens. The real time savings will be 30-60 minutes, officials said. The new route is almost a mile shorter than the dam route and has a 55 mph speed limit instead of the crawl across the dam, plus no security checkpoint.
This is a really pretty Hoover Dam bypass bridge, and I'll be proud and thankful to be allowed use it, what a magnificant achievement. Thank you for building it.
VC thinks chunky is annoying ;)
I don't think US 93 will be complete as a 4-lane highway all the way to Wickenburg. I think there are still segments from Interstate 40 to Wikieup and from the Santa Maria River to Wickenburg that are still two lanes.
(And, if I'm wrong, then US 93/60 is four lanes from Boulder City all the way to Phoenix.)
Rode over. Driving in a car you can't see anything. The side walls were built high. No view of dam, water. I guess you can stop on the bridge in the shoulder and get out and look over the side..like many were doing even though the signage specifically says NO STOPPING ON BRIDGE.
Drove over it today and it's awesome. Except all the morons who decided to break the law and stop on the bridge. I hope the police have a blast writing all those tourists tickets.
Just Curious?
Dont you now have a bottleneck from the hacienda casino up to the lights/4 way intersection in boulder city
If I dont work tomorrow,i may check it out tonight
was just wondering how they designed the road prior to the hacienda if coming from boulder city
peace out
According to the AZDot webpage, there are still several sections of US-93 between I-40 and Wikieup that are scheduled to be upgraded to 4-lane highway between now and 2014.
http://www.us93corridor.com/Highways/Pro...
Once those are done, it'll be four lanes from I-40 to the Santa Maria River, north of Wickenburg. We probably wont see any more widening on 93 from there until the I-11 project officially picks up because the proposed corridor branches off in that area (bypassing Wickenburg entirely) and will run south down into Hassayampa Valley slightly west of the Phoenix metro to the I-10.
Thank you SENATOR REID for bringing this important infrastructure improvement to Southern Nevada. Of course Angle WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED FOR IT, its not her job to create jobs!
Siromega - Yes I was going to post about this. Anyone who's been on 93 recently knows we're years away from a completed 200 mile four lane highway.
notacon - Since no illegals were involved in it's construction, it's obvious Lap Dog Reid had no input on this project. As it is Reid will be fired in a few days!!
It appears that the pathway from the parking lot to the pedestrian walkway on the O'Callaghan-Tillman bypass bridge is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. Doesn't the government have to comply with their own laws?
MollyM, where do you get the basis for your ADA comments? The walkway grades meet code. I was involved in the design and construction of the plaza and all aspects of the ADA codes were followed. Please let me know.