The $240-million Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge opened to vehicle and foot traffic on Oct. 20th between Arizona and Nevada, 890 ft above the Colorado River. Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood officially christened the “Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge,” which is named after former Nevada Gov. Mike O’Callaghan (1971-79) and professional football star turned soldier Pat Tillman. The sleek, elegant structure stretches across the Black Canyon a quarter-mile downstream from the dam. The 1,960-ft bridge will be North America’s longest single-span concrete arch when it opens to traffic later this month. “This magnificent bridge is proof positive that America

Las Vegas Strip resorts vie to be the hottest place in town, but Vdara, a recently opened hotel, literally can scorch those visiting the pool deck during certain times of the day. The 57-story, 1,495-room hotel is one of six towers at the $8.5-billion, 67-acre CityCenter complex, which opened last December. Photos Courtesy of CityCenter Land LIC Scorcher Hotel owner says it is trying again to fix the alleged �death ray� problem after a 2008 attempt. On Sept. 16, Vdara condominium owner and personal injury lawyer William G. Pintas complained to local media that the hotel�s south facade concentrated noon

Photo: Fred Holden Judges for Southwest Contractor�s annual competition honoring the best in design and construction have selected winners in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Related Links: Arizona Winners Nevada Winners New Mexico Winners Southwest Contractor�s annual awards competition, now in its 13th year, honors the best in design and construction over the past 12 months. Categories ranging from Civil/Public Works to Retail acknowledge the excellent work and the variety of disciplines in the industry today. The staff of Southwest Contractor and this year�s panel of judges would like to thank all of the firms that took time to submit

Paolo Soleri, a renowned 91-year-old architect and urban theorist, finally will see a bridge he designed open on Dec. 11. Image by Clifton Greyeyes Rendering of the bridge and the south bank�s plaza. Photo by Stepehn Krystek Bridge structure placement took place on June 26. Photo by Stepehn Krystek CAID Industries fabricated the radiused stainless-steel panels that wrap around to create the outer and inner bridge edges. The $3 million cable-stay bridge provides a pedestrian crossing over the Arizona Canal from the Waterfront District on the north to Old Town on the south, just west of Scottsdale and Camelback roads.

T.L. Roof & Associates Construction Co. broke ground on the Legacy Apartments at Dove Mountain. Designed by Robinette Architects of Tucson, this project consists of 12 two-story apartment buildings totaling 168 units. Construction also includes a clubhouse/office building with pool and spa, putting green and six garage buildings. The project is scheduled to complete in September 2011 and will incorporate a number of environmentally sustainable elements. Image: Robinette Architects Legacy Apartments at Dove Mountain broke ground.

The University of Arizona has selected GLHN Architects and Engineers, Inc. of Tucson to design a $42-million, 128,000-sq-ft addition to the university’s Environmental and Natural Resources Building. As architect and engineer of record for the ENR2 project, GLHN will work in association with Richard+Bauer of Phoenix on the design. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The ENR2 facility will house the Institute of the Environment, the School of Geography Development and the School of Natural Resources & Environment, and will be designed to facilitate scientific collaboration and interdisciplinary research. The project intends to create a facility that reflects the university’s

The last phase of construction to widen U.S. 62/180 from two to four lanes between Carlsbad and White City began. The $10-million GRIP project is the last of five phases begun in 2007. The previous phases were completed at a cost of $75 million. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Approximately $4 million in federal earmark funds were allocated for an additional four-mi section of U.S. 62/180 highway from the Carlsbad airport north to the junction of U.S. 285. This future project will complete the entire reconstruction of the corridor from New Mexico-Texas state line in Eddy County to the

The U.S. General Services Administration, Dept of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation and builder/developer Ryan Companies US, Inc. broke ground on a 210,202-sq-ft facility that Phoenix-based FBI personnel will call home for the next 20 years. Image: Ryan Cos./AECOM Ryan Cos. will develop and build the new $62-million FBI headquarters in north Phoenix. AECOM is the design firm on the project. Located at 7th Street and Deer Valley Road, the $62-million facility will replace the FBI’s four current Phoenix locations, allowing expansion and consolidation of agency operations and personnel through a 20-year lease agreement with Ryan Cos. The project demands

Hoover Dam, the Depression-era engineering marvel, turns 75 this month. While its new bridge crossing is set to open in November, the concrete monolith also is marking a dubious milestone this year�a 54-year low point for its water level, which threatens the dam�s hydroelectric output. Photo: Luetta Callaway As Hoover Dam celebrates its 75th anniversary, low Lake Mead water levels may lead to the eventual shutdown of the dam�s power-generating turbines. Lake Mead dipped to 1,085 ft in September, less than 40% of its capacity, following a decade of boom growth and drought. As a result, Hoover Dam may have

A four-year-long legal spat over Hoover Dam Bridge project's collapsed cableways has come to a close with a private settlement stemming from an April 20 arbitration ruling. On Sept. 15, 2006, a refurbished 42-year-old cableway system leased from American Bridge Co., Coraopolis, Penn., toppled over during 50-mph winds, bringing construction to a halt and delaying completion by two years. The 1,900-ft-long, 277-ft-deep twin-rib arched bridge will now open in early November. Photo: FHWA View of the collapsed North and South Cableway Crane system at Abutment 2 area in Arizona after the 2006 incident. In 2005, a general contracting joint venture