Q. |
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DOES THE
COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE HAVE A NAME? |
A. |
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Yes, the United
States Congress officially named it the “Mike
O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge” after two prominent
local citizens who dedicated themselves to public service
and the greater good. Mike O’Callaghan was a longtime
Nevadan, former Governor, community leader, and businessman.
He died in March 2004 at the age of 74. Pat Tillman
graduated with honors from ASU and played professional
football for the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Army.
He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 at the age of 27.
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Q. |
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WHEN WILL THE
HOOVER DAM BYPASS BE FULLY COMPLETE? |
A. |
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Construction of the Colorado River
Bridge is now complete, and the
Bypass has had traffic
moving on it as of October 19, 2010.
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Q. |
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WHAT IS THE
BUDGET FOR THE HOOVER DAM BYPASS AND WHERE DOES THE MONEY
COME FROM? |
A. |
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The design and
construction budget remains unchanged at $240 million. The
Colorado River Bridge construction portion of that budget is
$114 million. The $240 million budget consists of $100
million in federal funds, $20 million each from the states
of Arizona and Nevada, and $100 million in state bond funds.
Of the approximate $130 million in bond funds ($100 million
plus interest) advanced by the states of Arizona and Nevada,
approximately $96.3 million has been repaid.
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Q. |
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HOW MANY PHASES
OF CONSTRUCTION HAVE OCCURRED ON THE BYPASS? |
A. |
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There have been
six distinct, yet overlapping, phases of Bypass
construction:
- Relocation of portions of the Western
Area Power Administration (WAPA) transmission
system and switchyard
- Arizona approach – 2 miles of bypass
roadway
- Nevada approach – 3 miles of bypass
roadway
- Colorado River Bridge
- Interim surfacing of Bypass
- Final surfacing and roadway tie-ins
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Q. |
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WHAT ARE SOME
KEY FACTS ABOUT THE COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE? |
A. |
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- The arch span is 1,060 feet long
- The Bridge is 1,900 feet long
- The Bridge deck and sidewalk is
located approximately 900 feet above the Colorado River
- The Bridge is located approximately
1,500 feet south of the Hoover Dam
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Q. |
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WILL THERE BE A
SIDEWALK ON THE COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE? |
A. |
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Yes, it is
located on the north side of the Bridge for optimum viewing
of the Hoover Dam. The sidewalk is part of the pedestrian
and visitor amenities, which include a parking lot, trail,
and interpretive plaza.
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Q. |
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WILL THERE BE A
CELEBRATION WHEN THE HOOVER DAM BYPASS IS COMPLETE? |
A. |
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Yes. There was a
public event on Saturday, October 16th, called Bridging
America. You can read more about this event at:
http://www.celebratehooverbridge.com/.
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Q. |
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ARE THERE
PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE HOOVER DAM BYPASS CONSTRUCTION AND ARE
THEY
AVAILABLE FOR USE BY THE PUBLIC? |
A. |
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Yes, they are
available on the website,
www.hooverdambypass.org. Please provide photo credit to
the Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands
Highway Division (FHWA/CFLHD).
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Q. |
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WHO HAS BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT LEADERSHIP? |
A. |
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The Project
Management Team (PMT), a multi-agency stakeholder team,
oversees the Hoover Dam Bypass Project. The Central Federal
Lands Division of the Federal Highway Administration leads
the PMT and is responsible for the direct management and
oversight of all design and construction activities. Many of
the consulting and contracting industries’ finest are
engaged in this project. The PMT consists of the Arizona and
Nevada Departments of Transportation, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, the National Park Service, and the Western Area
Power Administration.
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Q. |
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WILL THERE BE A
TOLL FOR VEHICLES USING THE HOOVER DAM BYPASS? |
A. |
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No, this is not a
toll road.
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Q. |
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WHY DO WE NEED
A NEW RIVER CROSSING ALONG
U.S. 93? |
A. |
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There are several reasons for developing an
alternative to using the top of the Hoover Dam as the main
crossing of the Colorado River:
- The current two-lane highway across the dam, U.S. 93,
can no longer adequately handle the 14,000 vehicles and
trucks crossing per day, double the volume of 15 years
ago.
- This section of highway is narrow, winding and steep -
inadequate and unsafe for the volume of traffic.
- There is no other route in the western states that can
efficiently accommodate this traffic.
- The current highway conditions pose a potentially
dangerous situation to Hoover Dam visitors and the dam
facilities.
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Q. |
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WHY IS THIS
ROUTE SO IMPORTANT TO THE U.S.
ECONOMY? |
A. |
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U.S. 93 is on the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) route between Mexico and Canada, and it is
also the major commercial route between the states of
Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. With delays and potential
closures (from accidents) on this section of highway,
industry around the country suffers from loss of time and
money in transporting goods and services.
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Q. |
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WILL A NEW
RIVER CROSSING ACCOMMODATE PRESENT AND FUTURE TRAFFIC
VOLUMES? |
A. |
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The new river
crossing will be designed as a
new four-lane highway that will safely accommodate present
and future traffic volumes that rely on the U.S. 93 Colorado
River crossing.
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Q. |
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WHEN THE NEW
CROSSING IS BUILT, WILL THE
EXISTING ROADWAY ON THE DAM REMAIN OPEN FOR PUBLIC TRAFFIC? |
A. |
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The present roadway will remain open to
Hoover Dam visitors. However, through traffic and truck
traffic will not be permitted on the dam.
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Q. |
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WHAT ARE THE
TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS FOR VEHICLES CROSSING THE DAM? |
A. |
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Information regarding current
traffic
restrictions on the
Hoover Dam can be found on the
US Bureau
of Reclamation website.
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Q. |
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WHO "OWNS"
THE HOVER DAM? |
A. |
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The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a bureau
within the United States Department of Interior, owns the
Hoover Dam and its facilities. Prior to the construction of
the Bypass, U.S. 93 used the top of the
Hoover Dam to cross the Colorado River. This crossing and
the highway approaches on both the Nevada and Arizona sides
are currently maintained by the Federal government. Because
of the federal ownership of the river crossing, federal
highway funding for a new river crossing was being pursued.
Long-term maintenance and ownership of a new river crossing
will be the responsibility of the state DOTs.
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