Hoover dam fulfilled the goal of disseminating the onewild colorado river through the parched southwest landscape, fueling the development of. Named the boulder canyon project, after the original proposed site, the dam would not only control flooding and irrigation, it would generate. Crowe also had superior skills in project scheduling and. The history and construction of americas most famous engineering project at. The recently opened hoover dam bypass bridge, in background, diverts traffic. Hoover dam, often called boulder dam, is located on the colorado river at the. The contract is awarded to six companies, a construction and engineering firm made up of some of the wests most successful builders and designers of dams, bridges, roads, and tunnels, on march 11. Hoover dam design, construction and facts civil engineering. While it seems like no one is buried in the hoover dam, a 1938 structural failure caused thirtyfour workers to be buried in the debris of montanas fort peck dam.
The hoover dam project, which started in 1931, was among the first beneficiaries of the gantt chart. In april 1931 blasting for construction of plain dry area, upon which dam would be built, began. The original timetable called for boulder city to be built before the dam project. The mike ocallaghanpat tillman memorial bridge was dedicated thursday, oct. To divert the colorado river 4 tunnels were to be excavated on each side of the canyon, measuring 4000 ft long and the diameter of the tunnel was 56 ft, these were acting as diversion channels.
Working around the clock, they completed the dam two years ahead of schedule. Though president hoover did not end the great depression, one of his most wellknown efforts, the hoover dam, remains important to many peoples. The hoover dam was built by a construction company called six companies inc. Six companies finished the dam in five years, two years ahead of schedule and under budget, giving company leaders the confidence that they could take on any. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The hoover dam was built by a construction company called six companies inc, which was actually a consortium of several companies. On this day in 1930, construction of the hoover dam begins.
If youre basing yourself in las vegas and dont want to rent a car to reach the dam, an organized tour can be an. Hoover dam tours are available with onsite staff members and independent guides. Although the dam would take only five years to build. The bureau of reclamation opens bids for the construction of boulder hoover dam and power plant. It looks a bit like a bar chart with a horizontal timeline along the top and a list of tasks on the left. The hulking hoover dam has been holding back the colorado river and generating power for nearly 80 years, but you may be surprised to learn just how eventful its construction and naming were.
At that time it was a radical tool, and it became known worldwide in the 1920s. Bureau of reclamation historic dams and water projects. What can we learn from the hoover dam project that influenced. The bridge spans 1900 feet and is 900 feet above the colorado river. This personal toolkit is an extremely valuable asset that the project. Hoover dam construction history hoover dam information. Built during the great depression, the dam would tame the floodprone colorado river southeast of las vegas. Hoover dam is a concrete archgravity dam in the black canyon of the colorado river, on the.
The crest height of the dam was reached in march 1935, two years ahead of schedule. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the great depression and was dedicated on september 30, 1935, by president franklin d. A three year look at the low water level at hoover dam. It was given incentive bonuses and would be fined for each day construction overran the assigned schedule. In 1917, one of the first fathers of project management, henry gantt, created a scheduling diagram called the gantt chart. A flagship project of the depression era, the concrete gravityarch dam was completed ahead of schedule, and later designated one of seven modern civil engineering wonders of the usa. The gantt chart and the hoover dam project iapm blog iapm. Troxell 18961984, all professors in the civil engineering program at u. Six construction firms created a consortium call six company, inc. A dam project of this monumental scale had never been built in america. Also known as boulder dam, the hoover dam was constructed to control flow in the downstream colorado river and harness its energy for hydroelectric power. Gantt chart with spreadsheet software such as excel, though project.
Alarcon discovers the colorado river and explores its lower reaches. The hoover dam is one of the united states most famous dams and, standing 726 feet high, its also the nations third largest. This is a copy of the time lapse film at shown at the hoover dam visitor center. Hoover dam was an audacious and courageous undertaking. In september 1930, construction began on a 53km railway link between las vegas, boulder city and the dam site.
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