The Pinto Creek Bridge connecting the eastern part of the Valley and Globe has received a regional honor at the 2023 America’s Transportation Awards.

Completed in 2022, the $25.3 million project built the new bridge next to the one it replaced, with traffic continuing to use the old bridge until the new bridge opened. 

The 2023 America’s Transportation Awards named the effort Best Use of Technology and Innovation, medium project, for the Western region.

The competition is sponsored by an association representing highway and transportation departments nationwide, as well as AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

“We’re grateful to see the Pinto Creek Bridge replacement honored among projects throughout the West, but we’re even prouder of what this improvement has accomplished for those who rely on this critical route for passenger and commercial traffic,” said Greg Byres, ADOT state engineer and deputy director for transportation.

“ADOT engineers and the contractor used innovative design and construction approaches to create a safer and more reliable US 60 for decades to come.”

Among the approaches used in construction, the Arizona Department of Transportation cited:

• A bid-alternative method for design, which allowed the contractor “to determine economical and supportive foundation systems for each of the bridge’s three piers while taking into account the mountainous terrain.”
• Creating retaining wall structures up to 30-feet high, ADOT engineers developed design standards and specifications “for a micro-pile foundation system using high-strength, small-diameter steel rods.”
• A temporary access road was built to the floor of the canyon to provide access for heavy equipment, including a 400-ton crane. 
• Partnership with Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix to remove temporarily and then return hedgehog cactuses to the site.