Hoover Dam Bypass

They are building a bypass bridge over the Hoover Dam. I was in the area a year ago. Imagine standing on top of the towering Hoover Dam, itself a very impressive construction, looking down at the river far below. Now look up, way, way up to see a highway bridge soaring overhead. The roadway will be 840 feet above the river below. It's going to be a spectacular sight. It was clear to me that once it is completed, it will open up the area between Las Vegas and the major cities of Arizona tremendously. The Hoover dam is a real bottleneck. There is going to be a boom in the area, and there is already a lot of land speculation going on.

Despite the positive effect this will have on the economy around there, I couldn't help feel a little bit sad about it. The road now is just a lonely two-lane highway through relatively remote and desolate desert. When a modern freeway replaces it, something will be lost. I'm glad I got to see it before that happens.