After a nearly three-day shutdown, the concrete behemoth of the Colorado River along the borders of Arizona and Nevada is ready to welcome visitors again.
Hoover Dam reopened to visitors around 4 p.m. Thursday after an issue with the dam's cableway system was resolved, according to a social media post from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which built and operates Hoover Dam.
"With the cableway system restored, Hoover Dam is ready to welcome visitors," the bureau stated. "Public access to visit the top of dam and pedestrian access to The Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge are now open." All other facilities and services were to reopen Friday morning.
The Bureau of Reclamation closed public access to Hoover Dam on Tuesday after maintenance crews discovered the cableway issue.
It hadn't been immediately clear whether it would be a short- or long-term closure. Less than four hours before the bureau announced Hoover Dam's reopening, a spokesperson told The Arizona Republic that the timetable for completing the cableway work was unknown.
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Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the Arizona/Nevada border. The dam is lit up as part of the multi-month America250 anniversary celebration.
Public access to Hoover Dam closed because of an issue with the dam's 150-ton cableway system. The cableway is used to move large equipment and materials across the Colorado River and between the Nevada and Arizona sides of the power plant, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
While workers were conducting routine maintenance, they noticed the cableway carriage "moved unexpectedly and placed additional stress on system components," the bureau stated.
The cableway issue did not affect the dam or power plant.
"We appreciate the public's patience and understanding while our teams work through this situation," Genevieve Johnson, Reclamation Lower Colorado Basin acting regional director, said in a statement. "Safety remains our top priority."
