The Federal Government will finance the project, but the people who use the water and power will repay about 99 percent of the cost—about two-thirds with interest.
BRIDGE AT THE DAMSITE
Bridges were among the first essentials at Glen Canyon damsite. The vertical walls of the Canyon rise about 700 feet above the river. The distance from rim to rim is only 1,200 feet in a straight line, but it is about 190 miles by road.
The Glen Canyon Bridge, a spectacular rim-to-rim highway, spans the canyon immediately downstream from the dam. It is the highest and second-longest steel arch bridge in the United States; its 1,028 foot arch stands 700 feet above the river. The deck is 1,271 feet long. The roadway is 30 feet wide and is paralleled by 4-foot sidewalks. The bridge was dedicated and opened to public use on February 20, 1959.
Materials and equipment are transported to the canyon floor by highlines—heavy cableways stretched between towers, two on each rim. Loads of 50 tons are lowered from them on pendant hooks.
CONSTRUCTION
Glen Canyon Dam, like all large Reclamation dams, is being built by private construction companies that are awarded contracts by competitive bidding. The prime contract, totaling $107,955,122, was awarded to the Merritt-Chapman and Scott Corporation of New York City, April 29, 1957. It provides for construction of the dam and powerhouse and is the largest single contract the Bureau has ever awarded and probably the largest for any type of construction project.
By June 1960, the contractor had completed the diversion and spillway tunnels, lined them with concrete, built the coffer dams (temporary earth structures diverting the river around the damsite during construction), and excavated the foundation of the dam. First placement of concrete in the foundation of the dam and powerhouse was observed by public ceremonies at the damsite on June 17, 1960. Initial storage of water behind the dam is scheduled for early 1962.