FHWA 13-11
Monday, March 26, 2012
Contact: Doug Hecox
Tel: 202-366-0660

Nation's Civil Engineers Give Top Honors to Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge

Federal Highway Administration project named 'Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement'

WASHINGTON -A Federal Highway Administration bridge project last week won the nation's top civil engineering award for the $240 million "Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge" at the Hoover Dam. It is the Western hemisphere's longest single-span concrete arch bridge and one of the tallest in the world.

"We are proud to be recognized for this great achievement, but the credit really goes to the workers who helped build it," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "America can dream big because of the strength of our workers - and this iconic new bridge is proof."

The "Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement" award, presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers, honors the pinnacle of publicly-funded engineering projects each year. Previous projects honored include the World Trade Center in New York City, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the St. Lawrence Power and Seaway project in upstate New York.

"Our country can't afford to delay investments in large infrastructure projects," said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez. "Big projects like this are needed now more than ever, not only for job creation in the short term, but for long-lasting economic recovery."

Construction of the 1,900-foot-long bridge - part of a four-lane bypass to reroute traffic around the Hoover Dam - began in 2005 and opened to traffic in 2010. The bypass project included construction of eight bridges, interchanges in both Arizona and Nevada, and the excavation of nearly four million cubic yards of rock.

Located on the Arizona/Nevada state line about 40 miles east of Las Vegas, the project employed more than 1,200 workers, engineers and safety experts. The area's extreme desert heat and high winds made the project one of the nation's most difficult engineering challenges.

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