A Sightseer's Guide to EngineeringNational Society of Professional EngineersNational Engineer's Week
Next image > 


Construction workers' hard hats were invented and first used in building the Hoover Dam. There are 4,360,000 cubic yards of concrete in the dam, powerplant, and appurtenant works; enough to pave a 16-foot-wide highway from San Francisco to New York City. The reservoir can store enough water to cover the state of Pennsylvania to a depth of one foot.


return to homeback to results    National Society of Professional EngineersNational Engineers Week

© 2010 NSPE. A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering | Disclaimer | Contact: Stacey Ober, pr@nspe.org, at 703-684-2815
ARIZONA Printable version
Hoover Dam
US Highway 93 at Lake Mead and the Colorado River (Nevada/Arizona border)
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (8 miles south , AZ
702/494-2517; toll free: 866/730-9097
Web Site
View a film about the dam. Take a tour of the dam and powerplant. Call for ticket prices. 
Hours of Operation: Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. except Thanksgiving and Dec. 25. Need a map?
Considered one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders, the Hoover Dam is truly awe-inspiring. Standing 726.4 feet high, it is one of the tallest concrete dams ever built and created one of the largest manmade lakes in the U.S. The design phase involved several consulting firms and some 200 engineers and other workers in the Bureau of Reclamation's design office. Construction of the dam, powerplant, and related works began in 1931 and finished in 1936, two years ahead of schedule. At its peak, the project employed 5,218 workers. A 2-hour Discovery Tour goes behind the scenes, where visitors can see the inner workings of the dam.
 
Who Made It: