The Dam Bridge by Jon Willis

The USA Today article penned by Sean Holstege of the Arizona Republic hailed "Hoover Dam bridge is America's newest wonder". "It stands like a sentinel, watching in the wind over one of America's most treasured landmarks, the Hoover Dam" the article goes on to say.

 When the $240 million, 1900 foot bridge and related road work opened to traffic in October, 2010, it was the highest and longest arched concrete bridge in the Western Hemisphere, the second highest bridge in the United States (seventh highest in the world) with the world's tallest concrete columns of any kind. The bridge opened two weeks after the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Hoover Dam. Trivia Question: What is the highest bridge in the United States (which is 955 feet high, 1260 feet long, but only cost $350,000 to build)? Hint: It is in Colorado over another river.

 The bridge sits 890 feet over the Colorado River in the very rugged terrain of the Black Canyon between Arizona and Nevada. The arch design of the bridge complements the arched design of the concrete dam holding back Lake Mead. Clearly the Dam offered inspiration to the 300 engineers and 1200 workers it took to complete the project. The first recommendation for the bridge came in 1968 but the events of September 11th, 2001 brought the need for the bridge to the front burner. Still, construction did not start until February 14, 2005 and it took five-and-a-half years to complete.

If the Dam was a marvel of the great depression, the bridge is a marvel of the great recession. Its 16 million pounds of steel, 30,000 cubic feet of concrete and two million feet of cable are nearly beyond comprehension.

Check back here for a link to a spectacular PowerPoint presentation of the bridge under construction.