Boulder City in Clark County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Step by Step
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, September 9, 2025
1. Step by Step Marker
From start to finish, building the Memorial Bridge took nearly a decade. Five years were needed for design work, the relocation of the electrical transmission line, and the construction of new highway approaches. The bridge itself took another five years to build.
A
Get Solid Footing
1. Span the canyon with a cableway; set up cranes, winches, and staging area.
2. Stabilize cliffs; excavate arch foundations.
3. Pour concrete foundations.
4. Stack columns on foundations.
5. Install beams and decks of approach road.
6. Set up towers, winches, and cables to support the arch segments.
7. Place forms and pour concrete to create arch segments.
B
Lay the Path
7. Place forms and pour concrete to create arch segments.
C
Span the Gap
8. Placing the final form and pouring concrete to create the "keystone" of the arch.
D
9. Removing the temporary towers and cables that supported the arch segments.
10. Stack Vertical columns on the arch.
11. Install beams to support roadway.
12. Build road deck.
E
Enjoy the ride
13. Remove temporary cableway and cranes.
14. Build walkway and guardrails.
15. Pave the road.
16. Install traffic control signs.
Opened October 19, 2010
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical date for this entry is October 19, 2010.
Location. 36° 0.908′ N, 114° 44.69′ W. Marker is in Boulder City, Nevada, in Clark County. It is on Hoover Dam Access Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 81 Hoover Dam Access Road, Boulder City NV 89005, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Nevada’s Colorado River Valley, in the Mojave Desert, and in Greater Las Vegas. It is also in the American Southwest and in the Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Worthy of the Neighborhood (here, next to this marker); For the Record (here, next to this marker); Breaking the Bottle Neck (here, next to this marker); Discover Hoover Dam (here, next to this marker); Design Decisions (here, next to this marker); Get Good Footing with Anchors & Foundations (a few steps from this marker); Find Solid Ground with Surveys & Tests (within shouting distance of this marker); America's Finest (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boulder City.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 19 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on September 28, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
