Hoover Dam Bypass

[Ray S S]

Here are some pics just released of the Hoover Dam Bypass that will be of interest to some ofyou. Especially those of you that will be driving over it after completion. Enjoy Ray

 

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[truckinbutch]

Gonna make it a lot easier to get a big truck through there ,for sure .

 

[Smee]

I think it improves the view for the traveller. Personally, it always bothers me driving over a dam, even in Arkansas.

 

[lonesomebob]

Brother Ken; It always amazes me the number of people that are frightened to dribe over bridges like those in Fla and the big Mac. this one will probably mess them up big time Bob

 

[Ray S S]

truckinbutch, yup, it sure wood. There will br lots of room now, even at high speed.

Smee, I agree. That is a fantastic view from either side of that bridge. Looks like
it will connect an expressway so that might not bother you with all the room it will
have.

Lonesomebob,Yes, you are right, there are a lot of people that can't stand a little
extra height. Personally I enjoy driving over those long high bridges and seeing the
scenery from the higher altitude. LOL

Thank to the three of you for your replies.

Have a good holiday and happy hunting.

Ray

 

[Smee]

I'm a former OTR trucker. It isn't the height --- generally bridges don't bother me (except the Huey P. Long with the railroad tracks down the center) --- it's the idea that that little patch of cement is all that's holding all that water on one side of the dam.

 

[Ray S S]

Smee, Ok I understand what you mean, now. You mentioned the bridge with the RR tracks down the center. Was that
one in Deleware or Maryland or maybe Pennsylvania? My wife's brother lives near Marydell, Delaware and it seems
like we drove across one like that during one of the times we visited him. After we'd get off the turnpikes, we'd
take different routes enjoying the scenery, often near the Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bays. It was so long
ago that I can't remember where it was at.

Ray

 

[Smee]

That bridge is near New Orleans, LA (Harahan or Metairie) at the end of Cleary Avenue. Crosses the Mississippi river. Here is a pic:

Bridge traffic is quite heavy at rush hour. Back then it was 4 lanes - two each way. The section with the metal girders is where the train passes through. It takes the train climbing an incline that extends about two miles to reach the bridge, and the same to exit. I have been stranded at the top more than once. The winds were enough to make the truck rock, but nothing like a slow moving freight train makes the bridge sway. It's very interesting though how it came to be . . .

The bridge was built to carry auto traffic and to replace the "Mastadon" ferry. That was a ferry boat so large that they could haul locomotives and their cars across the river.

My grandfather actually worked on the construction of the bridge. It was named in honor of the former Governor of Louisiana who was assassinated in the state capital building. Huey P. Long.

 

[Ray S S]

Hello again Smee, thanks for your quick reply to my questions. Interesting pic with the RR cars on it. I have
driven across the mississippi, but never as far south as New Orleans, so the bridge in my memory had to have
been somewhere else. I drove truck for a while before getting into construction then into a career of carpentry.
I pulled a 40' van with a Brockway, cab-over, with 12 speed Spicer trans. I liked it but it was a cheap-paying
company and I drifted on into better paying work.

Have a good holiday. Don't eat too much candy. LOL

Ray

 

[extractor]

It will be a big time saver when it's done. ! In the yellow basket there are people beeing brought to work.

 

[Tricia]

Wow,

Amazing pics, where did you find those?

Imagine all the different trades and tradespersons involved in a project like that. Some amazing engineering going on too.

Was it because it was too difficult for trucks to navigate the windy road that they are building this bridge?

Thanx

 

[Ray S S]

Hello extractor, after looking at the first pic and seeing the roundabout way the road goes, looks like it will deffinitely be a big improvement. looks like a heck of a big job building it. There sure is some awesome mountainsaround there. That second pic reminds me of some of what we saw looking down in the Grand Canyon 3 or 4 years ago. Thanks for your reply.Ray

Hi Tricia, I got these pics in an e-mail and liked them so I posted them for others to see. Imagine going acrosssuch a big canyon from both sides and coming together perfectly in the middle. Your question about making it ashorter and better drive sounds like one good reason to build the bypass.It straightens out an awful big curve and would save a lot of time and be easier to navigate and undoubtedly better road than is there at present.Thanks for your reply. Ray

 

[fossis]

Thanks for sharing those pic's, I wouldn't want to work that high up.

Fossis................

 

[Urban Prospector]

Had no idea this was being built. Lots of people stopped on the dam to gawk and it made for a slow crossing. Lots of info here http://www.hooverdambypass.org/
tanks for shareing these pics karenray08

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

For those of you who think driving over the completed bridge will be scary ... try walking out on the "Skywalk" which is located on the reservation at the Grand Canyon to the southeast. I don't know which is scarier; the Skywalk itself, or the road going into it?

Nice pics of the bridge. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ray S S]

Hello, fossis, you're welcome. I think I'm inclined to agree with you about working so high. I have worked
in a few half-way high areas but I had a lot more around me and if you are paying strict attention to what
you are doing you don't notice the drop so much. This is a little bit too high and probably with a constant
wind which would be a problem in itself. Thanks for your reply

Urban Prospector, Yea, I'll just bet that would make quite a problem with people slowing down and gawking
all the time. I checked out the website that you posted here about the construction. It dates way back
to the beginning of the construction in '05 up to the present time.There are some pretty impressive pics.
Thanks for sharing the site. That's a terrific addition to the post. Thank you you very much.


Hello, SODABOTTLE, we visited the Grand Canyon about 4 years ago, from the south south side. We were
vacationing in Sedona and took a day to view the canyon but we made a few stops along the way and didn't
really have as much time as we should have had by the time we reached the Canyon. Didn't see the skywalk
but have seen pics of it and that view of the Canyon would be even better than from the scenic outlooks.
I love that Grand Canyon. I could stare across and down in it for hours.
Thanks for the complement on my post.

Ray
Ray

 

[dpitt8]

those are cool pics...reminds me of the bridge that leads across the canyon into Twin Falls, ID. people parachute off that bridge (legally too).

 

[warsawdaddy]

I was out there,on the way to Vegas, a yr ago this past april.They had just started on each side.The winds were driving them nuts.With more and more big rigs,congestion on the dam was really bad,and ever since 9/11,the trucks have had to detour around,much longer run.They thought the dam would be an easy target with a big rig and that's what started the planning.Trust me,that bridge is high up! Can't wait to make a drive over it,wind and all.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Brother Ken; It always amazes me the number of people that are frightened to dribe over bridges like those in Fla and the big Mac. this one will probably mess them up big time Bob

Some people in Florida fear driving over the Sunshine Skyway bridge because the original bridge collapsed in May of 1980 when the freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a pier (support column) during a storm, sending over 1200 feet (366m) of the bridge plummeting into Tampa Bay. The collision caused six automobiles and a Greyhound bus to fall 150 feet, killing 35 people.

One man, Wesley MacIntire, survived the fall when his Ford pickup truck landed on the deck of the Summit Venture before falling into the bay. He sued the company that owned the ship, and settled for $175,000 in 1984. For the remaining nine years of his life until he died in 1989, MacIntire was haunted by the fact that he was the only one to survive the fall from the collapsing bridge.

I was living in St Pete at the time and working in Sarasota Springs and had to drive over the bridge twice a day 5 days a week, I drove over the bridge the moring it collapsed about 6:30am on my way to work, it collapsed approx 7:35am an hour later...................






http://www.sptimes.com/News/050700/TampaBay/Horrific_accident_cre.shtml

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The Hover dam is a Marvel to see.