Hoover Dam bridge is America’s newest wonder
Enlarge image Enlarge By David Wallace, The Arizona Republic
The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge rises 890 feet above the Colorado River.
By Sean Holstege The Arizona Republic
It stands like a sentinel, watching in the wind over one of America’s most treasured landmarks, the Hoover Dam.
When the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge opens to traffic later this week, it is expected to become an instant tourist attraction while providing a quicker, safer drive between Phoenix and Las Vegas.
The Hoover Dam bypass bridge is a study in superlatives:
•The highest and longest arched concrete bridge in the Western Hemisphere.
•The second-highest bridge of any kind in the United States and 14th in the world.
•The world’s tallest concrete columns of their kind.
But what sets the bridge apart most of all is the setting.
It is perched 890 feet above the turquoise Colorado River, wedged between rock cliffs that form Black Canyon, with commanding views of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead