Ames 2000 Flashback: Snowmass Canyon
Twenty-five years ago, in the fall of 2000, Ames started a project to widen Highway 82 through Snowmass Canyon near Aspen, Colorado.
Crews reconstructed the existing two-lane roadway that hugs the pristine Roaring Fork River. Two additional lanes were terraced into the steep hillsides above the highway. The project required significant crushing, blasting, paving, and drainage construction.
The challenges of the tight corridor and steep terrain were compounded by the area’s environmental sensitivity. Areas outside the immediate footprint of the new roadway were strictly off-limits. To construct an access road, an expert hoe operator needed to “think like a mountain goat,” according to the project superintendent.
Work at Snowmass Canyon was often an all-hands-on-deck effort, with team members doing whatever needed to be done, regardless of the job title. Overcoming many challenges, Ames completed the project one year ahead of schedule.
