Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
the US93 Hoover Dam Bypass

There has always been a need for a US93/Hoover Dam Bypass, particularly during tourist season when thousands of visitors cross US93 from the visitor's center to the elevators that descend to the hydroelectric turbines, and the US93 traffic crossing Hoover Dam needed to wait for an extended time while tourists (which could include our families) wandered back and forth across the dam.

After the World Trade Center attack on 9/11/2001, checkpoints were erected on US93 near Hoover Dam on the east and west approaches in an attempt to prevent a terrorist attack on Hoover Dam that could send millions of acre-feet of water downstream, leaving a path of death and destruction in its wake.  Getting through the checkpoints caused delays of three or more hours into and out of Las Vegas on weekends.  The US93 Hoover Dam Bypass opened for traffic on October 19, 2010, ahead of schedule and under budget, increasing the security against a terrorists attack on Hoover Dam and clearing the week-end traffic jams at the checkpoints on either side of Hoover Dam.

Canyon walls and concrete safety barriers (photo) prevent drivers from gawking at scenic views of Hoover Dam and Black Canyon, resolving a definite safety hazard of distracted high-speed drivers.  An amazing pedestrian walkway alongside the barriers on the bridge provides the scenic views of Hoover Dam and the Colorado River 900' below in rugged Black Canyon.

The new bridge and upgraded approaches replaced approximately 20 miles of two-lane highway with four lanes of limited access freeway.  In February 2019 a nearly 23 mile segment of Interstate 11 opened between Henderson (southeast Las Vegas) and the bridge, bypassing two casinos and Boulder City.  I-11 is a long-term project to connect Nogalis, Nevada, and Reno, Nevada, generally following the corridors of I-19, US60, US93, and US95.

The Heroes tells the stories of Mike O'Callaghan and Pat Tillman.  Pat Tillman rejected a multi-million contract with the Arizona Cardinals NFL football team to volunteer for duty in Afghanistan.  He died on April 22, 2004, in the mountains of Afghanistan.  Mike O'Callaghan lied about his age to join the Marines at age 16, and also served his country in the Air Force and Army.  The bridge is named for these self-less heroes.

The Photo Gallery contains eight photos of the construction of the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge - the US93 Hoover Dam Bypass - in chronolocial order, and seven photos of the finished bridge.  View Photos is an auto-show of the photos.