October 14
| 1992 | Administrator Thomas Larson joins Colorado officials to open I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, CO, completing the Interstate highway from Baltimore, MD, to Cove Fort, UT (2,175 miles). With its hanging viaducts and environmental sensitivity, the final segment of I-70 is instantly declared a world-class scenic byway. Built to minimize environmental damage, the project was complicated because the canyon already carried the Colorado River, a transcontinental railroad track, and U.S. 6. At the Dedication Ceremony, Dr. Larson remarked, "This project proves that desirable environmental goals and great engineering feats can be mutually compatible." |
| 1993 | Administrator Rodney Slater represents the Administration at the opening of the Glenn Anderson Freeway/Transitway (I-105), formerly the Century Freeway, in Los Angeles, CA. The $2.2-billion, 17.3-mile high-tech freeway includes traffic sensors buried in the pavement, computers to monitor flow, meters to regulate traffic on the ramps connecting I-105 to four other freeways, closed-circuit television cameras, and room in the median for the Green Line trolley, slated to open in May 1995. The freeway is named after former U.S. Representative Glenn Anderson, a longtime project supporter and Chairman of the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation. |
| 2010 | Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood dedicates the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at Hoover Dam in Nevada. Built by FHWA's Office of Federal Lands Highways, the new bridge is the western hemisphere's longest single-span concrete arch bridge and one of the tallest. The 1,900-foot-long bridge is part of a $240 million four-lane bypass that will reroute traffic for 3.5 miles from the two-lane bottleneck on U.S. 93 across the Hoover Dam. Administrator Victor M. Mendez, who fought for the bypass bridge while Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, says, "The hard work and dedication of the men and women who worked on this bridge honor the legacy of those who built the Hoover Dam 75 years ago." |
