Hoover Dam bypass bridge set to open next week

Dawna Robertson, of San Diego, Calif., takes a photo of Hoover Dam and the newly completed by-pass bridge from a Black Canyon River Adventures commercial raft on the Colorado River Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010, near Boulder City, Nev. The bridge will be dedicated on Thursday and open to the public Saturday. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A soaring bypass bridge high above the Colorado River near Hoover Dam is set to open after nearly eight years and $240 million worth of work.

The 1,900-foot engineering wonder perched 890 feet above the water is expected to drastically cut travel time along the main route between Las Vegas and Phoenix, as motorists will no longer have to make their way across the dam and its security checkpoints at a snail's pace.

Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada were among federal and state officials expected for a Thursday morning dedication at the span linking the Silver and Grand Canyon states.