‘Marvel’ of a bridge restores commercial route between Phoenix, Las Vegas

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Bypass-Bridge,400
  • Sidebar: Bridge by the numbers.
  • Photos and graphic available (thumbnails, captions below)

By ALYSSA NEWCOMB
Cronkite News Service

HOOVER DAM – Towering 900 feet above the Colorado River, the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge makes the Hoover Dam, just a stone’s throw away, look small.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and relatives of the bridge’s namesakes were among those on hand Thursday to dedicate the bridge, the centerpiece of a $240 million bypass shifting U.S. 93 around the dam.

Brewer said she marveled at the ingenuity and bravery it took to build the bridge, which took five and a half years to complete.

“Let us not forget this bridge was built with human hands,” she said during a ceremony at the Hoover Dam Observation Deck.

The governor also said the bridge, which will open Nov. 1, will help the state’s economy by restoring a direct link between Las Vegas and Phoenix. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, large commercial vehicles have been banned from taking U.S. 93’s current route across the dam, forcing a detour through Laughlin, Nev.

“Phoenix and Las Vegas are two fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country,” Brewer said. “This will promote commerce, tourism and trade across the western United States.”

The bridge’s name honors Tillman, who gave up playing for the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals to join the Army after 9/11 and died in Afghanistan in 2004 as a result of friendly fire and O’Callaghan, a former Nevada governor.

“There’s no more appropriate symbol than this bridge to represent the lives of two men who knew how to find common ground,” said Reid, who served as lieutenant governor under O’Callaghan.

The bridge, which cost $114 million, spans 1,900 feet and is one of the highest in the country. It’s the first concrete-steel arch bridge in the country.

Calling the bridge “a marvel of 21st century engineering,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood noted parallels between the construction of Hoover Dam and the bridge, which was funded in large part by federal stimulus money. Built 75 years ago during the Depression, Hoover Dam has been nicknamed the eighth wonder of the world.

“I don’t know who gives that designation,” he said, “but I hope the bridge will become another wonder of the world.”

The federal government provided $100 million for the bypass project, and Nevada and Arizona each chipped in $20 million. The remaining $100 million was raised by the two states through bond sales.

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Bridge facts:

– Length: 1,900 feet

– Arch span: 1,060 feet

– Height: 900 feet above the Colorado River

– Location: approximately 1,500 feet south of the Hoover Dam

– Cost: $114 million

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Click above to see key facts about the Hoover Dam Bypass project, which is intended to alleviate traffic and safety issues on the road between Phoenix and Las Vegas. (Cronkite News Service Graphic by Jenny Matthews)


The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge took five and a half years and $114 million to complete. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Alyssa Newcomb)


The bypass project, of which the bridge is a part, diverts U.S. 93 around Hoover Dam (right) to provide a direct commercial route between Las Vegas and Phoenix. After Sept. 11, large commercial vehicles were prohibited from traveling US 93, requiring a detour through Laughlin, Nev. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Alyssa Newcomb)