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Tourists take photos of the recently opened Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge Wednesday, October 20, 2010.
Monday, March 26, 2012 | 1:16 p.m.
Sun coverage
The $240 million bridge spanning the Hoover Dam has garnered one of the nation's top civil engineering awards.
Officials say Monday that the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge won the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award last week from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The 1,900-foot-long bridge built by the Federal Highway Administration is part of a four-lane bypass that reroutes traffic around the dam. Construction began in 2005, and the bridge officially opened in 2010.
It's the longest single-span concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the tallest in the world. It links Nevada and Arizona.
The award honors a top engineering project each year. Previous winners include the World Trade Center in New York City and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
It was a welcome addition to the dam. Has it been inspected lately? Or has the gov't cut back funding of bridge inspections? Hope it's as safe as it is effective.
I go over the bridge quite regularly and my only disparaging thought about it is the use of the high Jersey Walls. I totally understand the need for them but they sure steal the view that iron would afford.