Colorado River Bridge Height: 900 feet Length: 1900 feet Concrete Arch: 1060 feet in length (26 sections, fourth longest in the world)

Nowadays, people expect mega-engineering projects to be over budget—and, often, underwhelming. But the newly opened Hoover Dam Bypass is an example of big-ticket civil engineering done right. The roadway—which spans the Black Canyon 1500 feet south of the dam—provides a more direct route between Arizona and Nevada, cutting travel time by as much as two-thirds. The concrete arch of the Colorado River Bridge—one of nine new bridges—seamlessly complements the iconic Hoover Dam­, and its deck offers pedestrians a new vantage from which to view it. Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez describes the bypass as "a modern engineering marvel." Here's what the rest of the country can learn from the nine-year, $240 million project, which somehow came in on budget.

1. Concrete is (still) the future.

Like the Hoover Dam's monolithic face, the Colorado River Bridge show-cases concrete: At 1060 feet, its arch is the longest in North America. When the bridge was first conceived in the 1980s, a lone concrete arch would not support projected loads, but by 2003 high-performance concrete, paired with a steel superstructure, was up to the task.

2. Big projects can leave small footprints.

Local flora, preserved in nurseries, has been replanted following construction. Engineers also cut channels under sections of U.S. 93 that were elevated to keep the road level. These animal bypasses allow desert bighorn sheep to cross beneath the roadway, reducing collisions with cars.

3. New roads are safer roads.

Accidents were three times more common on the hairpin turns and steep slopes of the old stretch than on the rest of U.S. 93. The new 5.5-mile route is essentially a straightaway, with twice as many lanes and a higher speed limit. By diverting non-tourist traffic away from the Hoover Dam and its access roads, the bypass also makes it a less tempting terrorist target.

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