Hoover Dam is an integral part to the sustainability of Las Vegas and its surrounding cities in Clark County. It allows water to collect in Lake Mead, Clark County's primary source for drinking water. The dam was built through the Great Depression, with construction starting in April 1931 and continuing through March 1936.

The dam serves as a major connector for traffic between Nevada and Arizona. This is one of the reasons behind the construction of the Hoover Dam Bypass. Traffic congestion on the dam has been a large concern, especially with security measures put in place after the September 11, 2001. Since U.S. 93, the highway crossing Hoover Dam, is part of the NAFTA route, pressure grew to have a safer highway put in place connecting commutes between Nevada and Arizona.

The Hoover Dam Bypass

The Hoover Dam Bypass is a remarkable engineering feat occurring right in our own back yard. Construction for the bypass began early 2003. It is scheduled to open to the public November 2010. This bypass will divert the approximately 14,000 vehicles that cross the dam each day onto a safer route.

After a type study, it was concluded that a composite concrete deck arch bridge would be designed and constructed. After the design stage, phases of construction were planned. The first phase - the Arizona Approach would connect U.S. 93 to the bypass bridge ("Colorado River Bridge") on the Arizona side and build Sugarloaf Mountain Bridge on the Arizona side. The second phase - the Nevada Approach would connect U.S. 93 to the Colorado River Bridge on the Nevada side and involve the construction of 6 new bridges. Both of these phases involved constructing a traffic interchange, providing wildlife crossings at the bridges, drainage improvements, adding trail access parking, and staining newly exposed rock cuts. The final construction phase was the actual Colorado River Bridge. The final 'paving' phase is currently ongoing.