When this particular Gold Mine received approval to extend its Cresson mining operations, Ames was awarded two related infrastructure projects, one at the bottom of a steep mountain and the other on the side of it.

This project in Squaw Gulch began with relocation of State Highway 67 to serve as both roadway embankment and a toe berm for the heap leach pad, followed by construction of the new leach facility and new adsorption-desorption recovery plant.

To support the tremendous surface weight from haul trucks and crushed gold ore stacking, Ames crews remediated more than 600 known and hundreds of unknown mine cavities, with some requiring thousands of cubic yards of fill material.

As prime contractor for this fast-tracked High-Grade Rod and Ball Mill project, Ames performed start-to-finish mill construction on the slope above the VLF2 site, working at a 10,000-foot altitude in mountainous terrain during harsh winter months. The work scope included structure excavation concrete and steel building erection, along with installation of process equipment and HDPE, ADS, CMP SS and mechanical piping. Ames served as construction manager of electrical and instrumentation, precommissioning and commissioning.

For more than 20 years, Ames Construction has been working on projects for this Gold Mine in Colorado.