Thankful for the Hoover Dam bypass

I've watched construction of the bridge to bypass Hoover Dam for many a year. For a while, I thought it would never get done. Then, as if by magic, it started to span the canyon and, one day, it was joined.

I made my first auto trip over the engineering marvel this week. While it is a big disappointment from a view standpoint, it's so steady you really don't know you're on that skinny, scary-looking bridge you once saw go up as you drove on the dam.

There's still a bit of construction before the bridge that slows things down, but from a traveler standpoint, it's a mighty success. It cuts significant time between Las Vegas and Kingman. And, for that, I say thank me and the rest of America's taxpayers who contributed to it.

See story: Hoover Dam bypass bridge opens (Published Oct. 20, 2010)