American Public Works Association Honors Hoover Dam Bypass

The Hoover Dam Bypass/Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was named an American Public Works Association (APWA) National 2011 Project of the Year in the Transportation, cost greater than $75 million category. The APWA Public Works Project of the Year awards recognizes the partnership between the managing agency, the consultant/architect/engineer, and the contractor who, working together, complete public works projects.

The Hoover Dam Bypass Project consists of the landmark 1,900-foot-long Colorado River crossing 1,500 feet downstream of the Hoover Dam, with 1.2 miles of approach roadway in Arizona, and 2.3 miles of roadway in Nevada.

David Goodyear, T.Y. Lin International Chief Bridge Engineer, led the design of the Colorado River Bridge segment of the bypass project. Soaring 890 feet above the Colorado River, the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is the first concrete-steel hybrid arch bridge in the United States. The innovative hybrid structure is designed to complement the historic Hoover Dam with the high-performance concrete arch while limiting the load demands with a modern steel superstructure. The Colorado River crossing is the highest and longest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere, featuring the world’s tallest precast concrete columns of their type. With a 1,060-foot main span, America’s newest wonder exemplifies creative achievement and innovation in modern day structural engineering.

The Federal Highway Administration - Central Federal Lands Highway Division, consultants HDR, T.Y. Lin International and Jacobs Engineering, and contractors Obayashi Corporation and PSM Construction USA received the award during APWA's 2011 International Public Works Congress & Exposition in Denver, CO.