Un-damming the Traffic
Hoover Dam, NV-AZ
Under construction, the Hoover Dam Bypass will take care of several problems all at once: Massive traffic congestion on what is a major U.S. highway (as we were leaving, the backup into the dam on U.S. Highway 93 was a good two miles), the allowance of larger vehicles through Hoover Dam (currently, such vehicles have to take a detour that’s 20 miles longer through Laughlin) and the fear of terrorism. Once done, the traffic directly over the dam will become an old highway likely used only by tourists. The projected cost of the bridge is $234 million; the dam itself cost $49 million, albeit in 1930s dollars.