A pioneer in accelerated bridge construction, he gained national recognition for introducing innovative methods such as moving entire bridges into place overnight to minimize traffic disruption. Wadsworth was involved in many high-profile transportation projects across Utah, including the $1-billion I-15 CORE project and the bobsled and luge tracks for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. He was also known widely for his philanthropy, such as starting the National Guard Charitable Trust Fund in the 1990s and his work to fund and build a Boys and Girls Club. He engineered and constructed the Bear Canyon suspension bridge on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which he donated to his hometown of Draper, Utah, in 2015.

Wadsworth received the prestigious Associated General Contractors of Utah Eric W. Ryberg Award in 2021 for his outstanding service to the industry.  Among his seven sons with late wife Peggy, Tod Wadsworth serves as executive vice president at Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction and Kip Wadsworth, who is its former president and CEO, now leads Wadsworth Development Group.

“Ralph truly listened, genuinely cared about you and always greeted you with a warm and welcoming smile. Kindness and humility were the foundation of his leadership," says Joey Gilbert, president and CEO, AGC of Utah. "Ralph’s impact on Utah’s construction industry was extraordinary, and his service to the AGC of Utah and recognition as a Ryberg Award recipient reflected a lifetime of building with integrity and purpose. He built more than roads and bridges; he built people, trust and a legacy that will endure for generations.”