Arlington, Va. – At nearly 900 feet above the Colorado River and 1,900
feet long, the Hoover Dam Bypass helps to protect the security of the Dam by
removing through traffic from US 93, reducing the vulnerability to a terrorist
attack and also protect the most sustainable source of electricity and a scarce
water supply for the entire Southwest.
In recognition of the challenges to build such a structure in a difficult
environment, the Hoover
Dam Bypass
Bridge was honored with
the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) 2012 Outstanding Civil
Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award. The announcement was made at the
Renaissance Capital View Hotel in Arlington,
Va. during the Society’s annual OPAL
Gala.
The structure, officially known as the Michael O’Callaghan/Pat Tillman Memorial
Bridge, was constructed in a harsh environment where temperatures reached
triple digits during the day. The structure is the highest and longest arch
concrete bridge in the Western hemisphere and features the world’s tallest
concrete columns.
Because of the 800-foot gorge below with rock cliffs, steep canyon walls and
winds of up to 70 miles per hour, the contractor used two 2,500 foot long
cableways connected to 330 foot high towers on each side of the canyon to
transport the construction crews and 50 tons of equipment and material into
place during the construction. Due to the high heat, concrete was poured from
mid-air at night and was cooled with liquid nitrogen filled tubes.
The bridge is part of the five-mile long bypass that consists of four lanes of
roadway, eight bridges, interchanges in both Arizona
and Nevada
and over 3.6 million cubic yards of shot rock excavation.
The project was built for $240 million without a dispute or claim by
contractors. Obayashi Corporation and PSM Construction USA were contractors for
the bridge while HDR, T.Y. Lin International and Jacobs Engineering were the
design and support team. The project is owned by the Arizona Department of
Transportation, the Nevada Department of Transportation, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, the Western Area Power/Administration and the National Park
Service. The Central Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway
Administration was the project and program manager.
The other finalists were:
Cherry Island Landfill Vertical Expansion Project, Wilmington, Del.
Nacimiento Water Project in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.
US 191 Colorado River Bridge in Moab, Utah
Willamette River Combined Sewer Overflow Tunnel, Portland, Ore.
Past winners of the OCEA Award have been:
Louisville Water Company’s Riverbank Filtration System
China’s Sutong Bridge, Nantong City, Jiagsu Province, China
Groundwater Replenishment System, Orange County, Calif.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge outside Washington, D.C.
Entries for the 2013 OCEA award are due
June 1, 2012. More information about the award is available atwww.asce.org/OPAL.
Hoover Dam Bypass Named 2012 Outstanding Civil Engineering Project
March 26, 2012
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