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This page last updated on 04/13/2017
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| The Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge |
Destination: The Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at Hoover Dam.
Distance from Point of Origin: 36 miles.
Estimated (One Way) Travel Time: 55 minutes depending upon time of day and traffic.
Directions: The bridge is located 36 miles southeast of Las Vegas. From the Stratosphere Casino head northeast on Las Vegas Blvd about 3 miles and bear right to merge onto US-515/93/95 south towards Boulder City. Follow US-93/95 for 20 miles and turn left to stay on US-93 South. Go 5 miles and take the NV-172 exit, Exit 2, toward Hoover Dam and travel 2.5 miles to the Bridge Visitor Parking lot on your right. Make sure you turn off of US-93 just before you get to the dam, avoiding actually going over the by-pass bridge into Arizona. The bridge crosses the Nevada-Arizona border.
General Description: The Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was the first concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States, and at the time was the longest concrete arch in the Western Hemisphere. Located 1,600 feet downstream from the Hoover Dam, it rises 840 feet above the Colorado River, making it the second-highest in the United States, behind the Royal Gorge Bridge. The span is 1,060 feet long. The twin arches contain 2,000 tons of steel and 9,000 cubic yard of concrete. One interesting fact is that the two bases of the arch, one in Nevada and one in Arizona, are situated at different levels on the canyon walls It cost $114 million, in 2010 prices, to build.
Special Attraction or Points of Interest: There is a small parking lot and outdoor visitor area where visitors can enjoy reading about the project on large panels in a pedestrian plaza located just north of the bridge. Beyond the plaza is a pedestrian walkway on the eastern side facing the Hoover Dam that transverses the entire length of the bridge. One of the more amazing vertical views is looking straight down 840 feet to the Colorado River.
Primary Activity: Walking.
Secondary Activities: Photographing Nature.
Elevation: 1590 Feet above sea level.
Best Time To Visit: Due to the small size of the parking area, early morning is the best time to visit the pedestrian plaza and walk the bridge.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Facilities: None at the bridge, however there are several at the dam.
Estimated Round-trip Time: Three hours for the bridge alone. Add another one to two hours if doing the dam. |
| More Info On the Memorial Bridge: This site has some great construction photos. Check it out ... http://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mike_O'Callaghan-Pat_Tilman_Memorial_Bridge |
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| 02/26/2012 Trip Notes: I visited the bridge for about the fourth time with my friend Jim Herring who was in town visiting from Kansas. Even though Jim and I were one of the first cars to pass over this bridge when it opened back on October 16th, 2010, this was his first opportunity to walk out on it. Today we reached the bridge right around sunset and as you can see from the picture below, the view of the Hoover Dam from the center of the bridge is just awesome. |
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| The view of the bridge’s support columns in Photo #1 below was taken just before you enter the bridge walkway. If you look carefully (click to enlarge), you can make out the bridge’s main arch the upper left-hand corner. In the bottom right corner you can get a glimpse of the Colorado River, 840 below. Photo #2 is a rare glimpse looking down a nearly empty walkway. Used during the actual construction, Photo #3 shows the overhead cableway and crane that was used to lower supplies and equipment down to the dams power plant and generator rooms. Photo #4, Jim standing in front of the entering Nevada sign; the actual boarder between Arizona and Nevada is in the center of the bridge. as it bisects the Colorado River below. |
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Photo #1
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Photo #2
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Photo #3
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Photo #4
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| The bronze engraved plaques below are just a few of the dozens that are scattered around the Pedestrian Plaza and along the bridge’s walkway that highlight important bridge facts and construction milestones. |
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Sunset photo casting a shadow that emphasizes the bridge’s arch as it spans the canyon and the Colorado River below.
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| Over a period of several years, I visited the dam and captured pictures representative of various stages during the construction of the bridge. The pictures below are just three from a collection of more than 60 pictures that I used to create the slideshow at the end of this post. |
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(OPTION 1) Each show is designed to run automatically in place, without leaving the current browser window. If the show is not already running, just click the large "Play" button in the middle of the picture and let it run.
(OPTION 2) Running the cursor over the picture being shown will PAUSE the show and bring up a navigation bar at the bottom of the slideshow window with Pause, Forward and Back buttons, allowing you to start, stop or manually forward or back up pictures one at a time.
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| Slideshow Description: The slideshow above contains 63 pictures that were taken during different phases of construction and after final completion. |
PDF Collage: In 2009 I produced a series of PDF collages for the creation of "Our Travel and Entertainment Diary" blog. Click here to view a two page PDF collage comprised of several visits to the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at the Hoover Dam ...
Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge
