The new bridge across the Colorado River at Hoover Dam is beautiful.  It is an engineering marvel and demands many superlatives, but to me it is a big disappointment.  Unfortunately it was built so that for people crossing it there is no indication that they have just crossed one of the engineering marvels of the world.

The Bridge from the Highway

The bridge is not visible from the approaches and the guard rails are so high you can’t see anything from a passenger car.

It is possible to appreciate the magnitude of the bridge but you have to take the old road and pay to park at the dam.  It is like building the Golden Gate Bridge and covering it with a tarp.

From the middle of the dam

The people who designed and funded the bridge couldn’t even decide on a name so it is the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.  Doesn’t it just roll off  your tongue.  We are going to call it “Herb the Bridge” after Herbert Hoover and the Hoover Dam.

The best shot from the scary pull-out

This is another project that could have been magnificent but it was high-jacked by accountants and worriers so that it ends up being for most people mundane.  We can do a better job of keeping beauty in plain sight.  This is a subtle effect of the Nanny State putting function ahead of glory.  Construction Photos

The Web site of the Bridge