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Jan 1, 2002 12:00 PM

AMEC's Earth & Environmental operations have started to conduct geologic mapping and a geotechnical assessment for an alternate crossing of the Colorado River near Hoover Dam. The new crossing will feature a four-lane divided highway and a 1,900-foot bridge that will bypass the narrow and congested United States Highway 93 crossing at Hoover Dam.

The Phoenix AZ office of AMEC is a member of a consulting group selected for the project by the Federal Highway Administration's Central Federal Lands Highway Division. The consulting group, a consortium of 19 companies led by HDR Engineering, Sverdrup Civil, and T Y Lin International, will provide engineering and architectural design services for the estimated $198-million project.

AMEC first will map the bypass route, an area 1,500 feet downstream of Hoover Dam and 840 feet above the river. This will include laser mapping and visual inspection of the geologic conditions by rappelling the Black Canyon's walls, as well as a seismic evaluation of the site.

The 3.5-mile-long project will include approach bridges and roadways in Nevada and Arizona, a tunnel in Nevada, interchanges with US 93, and several wildlife underpasses and overpasses. Preliminary design work will get under way soon, with roadway construction scheduled to start in late 2002. Completion is anticipated in 2007.