Lessons from the Hoover Dam Bypass.

A new bridge connecting the states of Arizona and Nevada over the Colorado River recently was opened to the public. Since the great Hoover Dam was built a generation ago, there was a curving two-lane highway that crossed right over the dam, itself. After 9/11, concerns grew that terrorists could easily blow up the dam and release tons of water to destroy everything downstream below Lake Mead to the Gulf of California. Out of an abundance of caution, the idea for this new crossing over the Colorado River was born.

Sam and I made the trip on the old Highway 93 crossing back in the Summer of 2006 while on a day trip to the Grand Canyon. When I lived in that area a decade ago, I became very familiar with the long desert drives spanning lonely highways in Northern Arizona on the way to Las Vegas. This new shortcut is something I cannot wait to see in person.