Hoover Dam // Bypass Bridge

On Monday I visited the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona. I have visited and driven over this dam many times over the years and am always impressed by its immensity. I won't go into the history of it here other than it was constructed in the great depression of the 1930s and this is shown in the art deco styling of the detailing and fixtures. This level of detailing on a power station would be unheard of now - but the dam is not just functional; it serves as a gateway between two states as well as a symbol of American might despite the economic situation.
I think I like this dam both because of the detailing and decoration, and the completely functional overall form.

A statue on the memorial at the dam.

The elevator towers down to the power generators, with brass doors and relief sculptures.

The dam has been a major tourist attraction for 70+ years, but now the bypass bridge is stealing its thunder. The bridge was begun about 7 years ago and is probably a bigger engineering feat than the dam. This thing is huge and made me queazy just seeing it - I don't know how I'll be driving over it. It is impressive in its size but I am sure it will not live up to the same standard of the dam in its design quality.