Hoover Dam bypass bridge dedication planned next week

By Kyle B. Hansen

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010 | 1:31 p.m.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will dedicate the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge next week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced today.

The bridge is the centerpiece of the $240 million Hoover Dam Bypass Project to improve traffic flow between Las Vegas and Phoenix on U.S. 93.

The bridge will be dedicated at a 10 a.m. Thursday ceremony on the observation deck of the Hoover Dam Visitor’s Center, officials said.

In addition to LaHood, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer are expected to attend the dedication, along with family members of O’Callaghan and Tillman.

The bypass bridge is the longest single-span concrete arch bridge in the western hemisphere and is believed to be the second highest bridge in the nation.

Also, members of the public have been invited to walk on the bridge Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The bridge will open to vehicle traffic in the following weeks.

The first use of the bridge will be Saturday, with participants in the Regional Transportation Commission’s Viva Bike Vegas event. Riders in the 115-mile route will ride across the bridge and back.

While in Las Vegas, LaHood is also expected to speak Wednesday evening at the opening reception of a high-speed rail conference at Vdara. The conference is sponsored by the Western High Speed Rail Alliance, which hopes to build a high-speed rail network in the region.