Construction Activities

Construction is complete!

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded a $7 million contract to Frehner Construction Company, Inc. of North Las Vegas, Nevada to complete the final roadway elements that will allow traffic onto the Hoover Dam Bypass.   This was the final contract.  Work included completion of signing, striping, median barrier, lighting, paving, and roadway tie-ins at U.S. 93. Additional work included the paving and parking area improvements for the visitor and pedestrian plaza.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded a $7 million roadway surfacing project to Las Vegas Paving Corporation of Las Vegas Nevada in December 2007. The paving project included over 60,000 tons aggregate base, 45,000 tons hot asphalt concrete pavement and nearly 18,000 lineal feet of guardrail. The project is now complete.

This project was accelerated in order to finalize paving and guardrail throughout a majority of the Bypass Approach roadways and take advantage of current construction materials prices and minimize any future increases that may result from delays associated with the contractor’s crane collapse that occurred during construction of the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Colorado River Bridge). Advancing this roadway surfacing project ensured continued progress on the Bypass and minimized the remaining work to be done after the Colorado River Bridge was completed – with the ultimate goal of expediting the final opening of the Bypass.

As the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Colorado River Bridge) neared completion, a final contract was awarded to pave the short sections of remaining roadway and the roadway tie-ins at U.S. 93, as well as complete final signing, striping, barrier, and pedestrian facilities. This final contract cost approximately $8 million and will was advertised in late 2009. The total cost to complete the Hoover Dam Bypass remained unchanged at $240 million and is consistent with the original 2001 estimate.
 

The construction contract for the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Colorado River Bridge), was awarded to the joint venture partnership of Obayashi Corporation and PSM Construction USA, Inc., in October of 2004 for $114M. Construction began in early 2005 and is was completed in October 2010. The 2,000 foot-long Colorado River Bridge spans the Black Canyon (about 1,500 feet south of the Hoover Dam), connecting the Arizona and Nevada Approach highways nearly 900-feet above the Colorado River.  The construction requirements and challenges were as difficult as any in the world.

By November 2008, the joint venture contractor had completed over $78M worth of construction. Major milestone work completed included the abutments, approach columns, girders and deck, and arch skewback footings. A number of the arch segments were cast using a temporary form traveler system. The contractor established a new cableway system developed specifically for this project and site. The cable crane system spaned the canyon, delivering materials and equipment used in constructing the bridge. Other completed work included the precast segments for the bridge columns which support the roadway on the arch. 

On  August 10, 2009, the arch portion of the Colorado River Bridge was physically connected.  Removal of the supporting cable system was completed on August 27th, and the arch is now self supporting and free standing.    The bridge was approximately 85% complete at this point.

 

Continued work included setting the precast columns, erecting the steel girders, and casting the roadway deck and barriers. (Please see the July/August Project Status Update for more detail on this process.  It can be found on our What's New page.) The bridge remained on schedule for completion. 
 

In October 2010, Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Colorado River Bridge) was completed and opened to traffic on October 19, 2010.

Phase Two of the Hoover Dam Bypass,  the Nevada Approach project, was completed  in November 2005. Edward Kraemer & Sons, Inc., the contractor for the Nevada Approach project, completed this $30.1 million roadway improvement from Nevada U.S. 93 to the new Colorado River Bridge crossing nearly two months ahead of schedule.

Construction of the Nevada Approach, began in October 2003, and within its short 24-month duration, the contractor constructed 2.11 miles of new four-lane highway alignment including six new bridges, a new traffic interchange at U.S. 93 near the Hacienda Casino, retaining walls, wildlife crossings, and a 1.6 mile extension of the River Mountain River Loop hiking trail. To accomplish this feat, the contractor moved over 1.5 million cubic yards of blasted rock material, placed 2.8 million pounds of reinforcing steel, and poured over 12,000 cubic yards of structural concrete.
 

Phase One of the Bypass was finished in December 2004. Completion of the Sugarloaf Mountain Bridge signified the end of construction on the Arizona Approach project. The project involved building a connection between U.S. 93 and the Colorado River Bridge. Major components of the $21.5 million project include nearly two miles of four-lane roadway, a 900-foot bridge on the east side of Sugarloaf Mountain, a new traffic interchange at U.S. 93 and Kingman Wash Road, wildlife crossings, trail access parking, improved drainage and rock staining. The joint venture contractor, R. E. Monks Construction and Vastco Inc, were responsible for construction activities on the Arizona Approach. The project was completed on time. 

Statement from the Federal Highway Administration - November 24, 2008

The Federal Highway Administration extends its deepest sympathy to the family of the construction worker who suffered a fatal accident on the Hoover Dam Bypass project site today. The FHWA will work closely with U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Joint Venture contractor, Obayashi Corporation and PSM Construction USA, Inc., to determine the cause of the accident. The accident occurred during a routine operation to adjust a cable used to align the temporary concrete towers that support construction of the twin arches. In the interim, all related activities involving the area where the accident occurred are suspended until further notice.  Update: As of Monday, December 1, 2008, all construction activities have resumed.

Contact: Doug Hecox, FHWA Public Information Officer, at 202-366-2244

Come inside the Construction Zone!

Be sure to check out photos of all our projects in our Construction Photo Album.  Images are updated periodically. October 2010 photos showing the completion of the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Colorado River Bridge), as well as of the Interim Paving Project (on both the Arizona and Nevada sides) are now posted!

Construction Schedule:

Web Cam:

Construction Web Cam - Notice: The web cameras servicing the Hoover Dam Bypass Colorado River Bridge project were permanently removed between August 2 and August 9, 2010 as the project neared completion. We appreciate the interest that has been generated as a result of the cameras and apologize for any inconvenience.  The Bypass project finished ahead of schedule, opening to traffic on October 19, 2010.

Through the use of our interactive web cam, the public was able to view live-images of the Colorado River Bridge construction area, zoom in and out on specific locations, e-mail images to someone, and post their own images to a photo album. Thank you to all who took time to use this feature!