News Release Archive

Reclamation Advises Patience for Motorists When Crossing Hoover Dam During Memorial Day Weekend

Motorcyclists to ride on Sunday for Memorial Day observance

Media Contact: Bob Walsh , 702.293.8421, rwalsh@lc.usbr.gov

For Release: May 24, 2006

Motorists planning to drive across Hoover Dam during the Memorial Day holiday weekend should anticipate heavy and slower-than-normal traffic.

As on any long holiday weekend, traffic at Hoover Dam will be heavy, according to Hoover Dam Police Chief Rich Melim. Based on past experience, the heaviest traffic occurs between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) every day, and the heaviest days will be from Friday, May 26 and Monday evening, May 29. On past Memorial Days approximately 17,000 vehicles cross the dam at the end of the weekend; on a normal weekend only about 12,000 vehicles cross the dam.

Melim noted that Hoover Dam police will manage traffic and visitors at the dam throughout the holiday weekend. He also reminds motorists that the speed limit approaching and across the dam  15 miles per hour  will be strictly enforced.

Anyone planning to cross Hoover Dam on Memorial Day weekend should have a flexible schedule to account for a potential delay, Melim said.

Vehicle-crossing restrictions that have been in place since Sept. 11, 2001, remain in effect. Commercial trucks, buses with luggage, and trailers longer than 40 feet are prohibited from crossing the dam. Cargo-type or rental trucks, recreational vehicles, boats and trailers, and pickups with camper shells or other coverings will be inspected before they are permitted across the dam. All vehicles, including passenger cars and their contents, are always subject to inspection.

Motorcycle Club Run

Melim also noted that, from 11:00 until about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 28, approximately 350 members of the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club and their associates will conduct their seventh annual Memorial Day ride across Hoover Dam. The group will cross from the Arizona side of the dam to the Nevada side, on their way to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City. National Park Service rangers and police, Boulder City police, and Hoover Dam police officers will escort the group during the procession. This could cause a traffic delay of up to 30 minutes for other motorists crossing the dam at this time.

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