Ames Construction replaced the obsolete Pinto Creek Bridge on US 60 in Arizona with a new, 695-foot-long structural steel bridge that rises from the canyon floor in Tonto National Forest.
Built adjacent to the previous bridge, the new bridge is supported by three sets of piers. At 138 feet, the tallest piers were constructed with a single continuous pour that required crew members to climb down into the formwork to ensure there were no voids in the concrete. In addition, installation of the new steel girders required a 400-ton crane positioned in the canyon bottom—a significant challenge that required access road modifications.
Ames crews contended with a few unforeseen challenges. First, a wildfire spread through the project, pausing construction for one week. Fortunately, neither the new construction nor the old bridge were damaged. Following the fire, a historic monsoon season with frequent storms left the project flooded with fire debris and washed out access multiple times, requiring crews to perform additional maintenance and find workarounds to maintain the schedule.
Once the new bridge was open to traffic, crews dismantled and removed the old bridge, which dated to 1949, and restored the site. The bridge provides one 12-foot-wide lane for traffic in each direction and 10-foot-wide shoulders, serving both the traveling public and commercial vehicles from nearby mines.
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