Hoover Dam And The Bridge

. The Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is going to become one of mankind’s finer construction projects. If you have never been to Lake Mead and Hover Dam you have missed one of man’s finest achievements. The new addition of the freeway and bridge in front of the dam is surprising in that it really doesn’t distract form the dam. We did a short visit and the experience is only tarnished by the fact that the bridge doesn’t open to traffic until November and if you want to walk on the bridge before it has traffic it will be open to the public on October 16. Personally we seemed to have missed all of the important dates. It does have a pedestrian walkway and a scenic parking area so that even after it is open you will be able to walk out on the bridge and view the dam. I think that many people will not try this because of the height of the structure over Black Canyon. Some people will complain about the bridge blocking the view of the dam. That is mostly related to those in aircraft who want to see the dam from the front. It adds a sense of a picture frame and makes this more of a marvel.



The construction did have many obstacles to its construction including wind and the tragic death of one worker besides designing signs big enough to carry the entire name of the bridge. Well the fact that last weekend was the 75th anniversary celebration of the bridge and should have been the opening. It will be great to see it in the highway traffic moved off of the bridge and a separation of the highway traffic and the tourist who like to wander across the highway as they visit the top of the dam. Because of the security that has been developed at the dam it will also save time in the trip between Phoenix to Las Vegas. I do want to thank those who have been working on this project for many years. The addition of a great parking structure that has been hidden in the side of the mountain and an underground visitors center have added to the experience without diminishing the view and have made access better for the average tourist. Everyone should take the tour of the dam at least once. There is no other way to really sense the size and complexity of the construction unless you actually go inside of the dam and then visit the generating facility. It was constructed with many art deco touches that show the era of construction. Even the restrooms that are hidden on the top of the dam show these touches.