Hoover Dam bypass bridge nearly complete

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the Hoover Dam bypass bridge, which rises 890 feet above the Colorado River.

During a media tour of the bridge on Thursday, it appeared that the four-lane bridge is ready to accommodate vehicles and, really, it already does. Construction trucks dot the 1,900-foot-long span as crews finish up minor work such as tying new stretches of road into the bridge and completing a pedestrian walkway that leads to an observation sidewalk.

The $240 million project will be open to traffic in early November, providing relief to motorists who travel across Hoover Dam and deal with delays caused by multiple switchbacks and security stops.

On Thursday, tourists admiring the dam were equally impressed with the massive bypass bridge, which owns the longest concrete arch -- 1,060 feet -- in the western hemisphere.

Not only will the bridge provide a safer route between Arizona and Nevada, but it will provide motorists a never-before-seen view of the face of Hoover Dam. The deck of the span is 277 feet higher than the dam.

The public will be able to see for themselves on Oct. 16, which has been labeled Bridging America Day, when the bridge will be open to pedestrian traffic only.

For more information about the festivities, log on to celebratehooverbridge.com.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.