Concretes Future by Tom Bagsarian.

Concretes Future" by Tom Bagsarian. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NSY/is_3_24/ai_n16107903 The article begins with a brief description of Hoover Dam, its construction, and the staggering amounts of concrete used during building. After this, the author describes the projected future of the area in the form of a 2000-foot-long bridge. This bridge is to be constructed 1600 feet downstream from the dam, to cross the Colorado River.

This is what the author refers to as "concrete's future." Despite the popular belief that planning for the bridge began after Sept. 11, 2001, the author emphasizes that the main reason for the plans is in fact traffic. Indeed, the author notes that there is a current volume of 14,000 vehicles per day that cross the highway running across the dam. The highway has become inadequate to handle such high traffic volumes.

If future increases in traffic volume are taken into account, it becomes clear that additional structures are needed to mitigate the strain on the existing highway. A learned a large amount of things from this article. I find it interesting that the article first discusses the history of the Hoover Dam, and the important role of concrete in its construction. Another interesting factor in this part of the article is the impact that the dam had on human lives, not only for better, but also for worse.

The hard work involved and the lives claimed in both the long and short-term is perhaps a testimony to the vast effort that went into the Dam's construction. Particularly poignant is the fact that many came to Las Vegas in search.