Construction began in 1931 and Hoover Dam was completed in 1936. It still stands tall as an engineering marvel high above the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada. Hoover Dam attracts over 7 million visitors from around the new world every year feeding vast tourism into the Las Vegas Nevada and Arizona economy.The building of Hoover Dam took the brilliance of over 200 engineers to pull-off what many deemed as almost impossible. And it was the fortitude of over 7,000 dam workers that endured amazingly harsh conditions and extreme dangers to complete Hoover Dam almost two years ahead of schedule.
The Dam of Hoover Dam
At the time of construction (1935), Hoover Dam was the largest in the world and although long since surpassed it is still an amazing structure and a marvel of engineering – a huge, curving wall of plain concrete 660 feet thick at the base and 726 feet high set between the vertical walls of Black Canyon, accompanied by strangely-angled pylons, cables, power generating plants and other machinery. In 1955, the dam was selected as one of theSeven Modern Engineering Wonders in the USA by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and it is was later designated a National Historic Landmark. Also known as Boulder Dam, the usual name commemorates the 31st president Herbert Hoover, who was in office during the start of the project.
Tours of Hoover Dam
New visitor facilities were constructed in the late 1990s including a multi storey carpark and open area cafe, both on the west side of the river, opposite the visitor center. Free parking is available at 13 lots along US 93 on the east side, the most distant being half a mile from the state border through the middle of the dam. The facility is owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation who conduct guided tours down into the dam and around the generating rooms at the base. Hoover Dam is a Awesome Place For Vacations. The tours used to begin via elevators right on the top of the dam, and generally required only a short wait, but now the entrance is through the new visitor center, and busy summer days may see several hundred people queuing in line, with a waiting time of up to two hours.
Background on the Hoover Dam Bypass Project
United States Highway 93 (U.S. 93) has been designated a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) route. The increasing congestion caused by the switchbacks leading to the Hoover Dam site and the restrictions at the dam crossing have led to the development of the Hoover Bypass Project. The Hoover Dam Bypass Project is a 3.5-mile corridor beginning at approximately milepost 2.2 in Clark County, Nevada and crossing the Colorado River approximately 1,500 feet downstream of the Hoover Dam, then terminating in Mohave County, Arizona near milepost 1.7 on U.S. 93. A Project Management Team (PMT) was developed to oversee the design and construction of the project Historical Tour in USA. The PMT has representation from each of the major project stakeholders including the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the States of Arizona and Nevada, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and the National Park Service (NPS). Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) will act in the lead management role for all elements of project procurement, design and construction.
CFLHD awarded a contract to HDR Engineering, Inc. to provide design and construction support services for the Hoover Bypass Project. An integrated team of professionals from HDR Engineering, T.Y. Lin International, Sverdrup Civil, Inc. and several supporting sub-consultants make up the consultant team, collectively known as Hoover Support Team.
Highline system
The highline system formed a critical part of the contractors’ operations because it allowed materials to be delivered out over the canyon while work continued on the 1,900ft-long Colorado River Bridge. Two tower cranes were built on opposite sides of the canyon, forming dual highlines. When the highlines were erected, the entire length of the bridge became accessible to the crane hook for delivery of materials used in both foundation structures and the main arch crossing.The bridge portion of the Hoover Dam Bypass project was delayed significantly when the two highline tower cranes toppled unexpectedly in 2006. They were redesigned and rebuilt before final construction of the arch portion of the bridge proceeded.