In July 1993, Ames crews were in the early stages of the Navajo Bridge Project near Marble Canyon, Arizona.
The top of the canyon is 470 feet—nearly 50 stories—above the Colorado River, and Ames was responsible for excavating 70-foot-deep pockets into the solid rock at the top of the cliffs where the arch footings for a new bridge would be constructed.
Because the river is sacred to the people of the Navajo Nation, Ames was not allowed to drop any rock in the river. A wire net was rock-bolted to the face to control any loose rock while crews drilled and blasted.
In Ames' 50thanniversary book, Senior Vice President of Engineering John Tripi recalled,
“It was both challenging and exciting because of the sheer verticalness of the project and digging big foundation excavations so you could build an arch bridge across a deep canyon along the Colorado River.”