Bridge overlooking Hoover Dam reaches milestone

A multi-million dollar bridge, designed to alleviate traffic congestion running across Hoover Dam, has reached a milestone in its construction.

The Colorado River Bridge, which will tower 900 feet above the riverbed, is in the final stages of having its centre 1,060ft arch completed. Once finished, it will be the longest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Currently, only 6 feet separate the two sides of the arch.

Spanning the Black Canyon, just a quarter mile downriver from the Hoover Dam, the new bridge will support a four-lane highway and provide a new route between Phoenix and Las Vegas. When finished, it is expected that over 17,000 vehicles will use the bridge on a daily basis.

Traffic used to go along the top of the dam, which was originally an access road during the dam's construction, but this has recently been deemed unsafe.

The bridge is the centrepiece of the $240m Hoover Dam bypass project, which has seen over 1,200 builders work in heats reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) 1,000ft above the river.

Speaking to the BBC, project manager Dave Zanetell said;

"It's been a great honour for everyone involved building something worthy to stand in the shadow of the Hoover Dam. Everything about the job is special. Big bridges are really tough and this has represented all those challenges but it has been exacerbated by the extremes of the site. It is extremely harsh terrain, a physically demanding place."

The Hoover Dam is an impressive feat of engineering in its own right. Completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station as well as the world's largest concrete structure.

The bridge is expected to be finished late next year.

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