en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Arizona Department of Transportation is investing $70 million to replace two aging bridges on US 60 east of Superior in Pinal County. The project commenced in early 2024, with Ames Construction undertaking the work, and is expected to be delivered by summer 2028.
The construction zone is located between mileposts 227 and 229.5. A new Queen Creek Bridge is being built east of the existing steel arch bridge. The new bridge will be 763 feet long, featuring one lane in each direction with shoulders. Once completed, the old bridge will be demolished. The concrete Waterfall Canyon Bridge, originally built in 1929 and measuring 107 feet long, will be replaced with two box culverts to improve drainage. These culverts will be 5 feet 6 inches long, spanning a 160-foot, three-lane roadway. Guardrail replacement and other routine maintenance work will also be carried out in and near the Queen Creek Tunnel. The two old bridges involved in this replacement were originally built in 1949 and 1929, respectively.
ADOT spokesperson Garin Groff stated that both old bridges were built to the standards of their time and no longer meet the current minimum bridge guidelines of ADOT, the Federal Highway Administration, or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. These bridges provide access from Globe and eastern Arizona to the mining areas of Miami and Superior. A detour through Winkelman would add approximately 75 miles to the journey. In 2023, an average of 8,242 cars and trucks crossed these two bridges daily, and ADOT projects daily traffic volume will increase to 14,754 by 2043.
Zachary Taylor, Senior Project Manager at Ames Construction, explained that the construction faces challenges such as rock blasting and removal from US 60, requiring entire mountainside removal operations to be executed within a five-hour work window while maintaining traffic flow. Blasting operations target steep slopes adjacent to the highway, with explosives set at heights ranging from 20 to 120 feet above the roadway. Earthwork operations generated approximately 130,000 cubic yards of material, some of which has been used to assist with road repairs in other areas of the ADOT jurisdiction following storms. Equipment used on the project includes one Cat D8 dozer, two Cat 336 excavators equipped with hydraulic hammers, three crawler cranes, two Cat 740 articulated dump trucks, and one Bauer BG 45 drill rig. On peak days, there are 25 to 40 Ames and subcontractor personnel on site. The new bridge structure is designed for a 75-year service life.
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