The Breakroom > The Water Cooler
Building a Bridge
vtsteam:
Peter, thanks kindly! :beer:
There will be more rip-rap added, but the main part of the backfill will be planted to control erosion.
Maximum "Base Flood Elevation" (meaning predicted height for a "100 year flood") is 4" below the second layer of block in the above photo. Not very high if you imagine it -- and the amount of water you see flowing now is unusually high for August -- it's raining again today -- almost a solid month of it. So a long berm (with logs buried lengthwise in it) on the right (upstream) far side (not very visible in the second photo above) should easily shunt over-the-bank water above stream of the bridge back into the channel before the rip-rap even starts.
The near bank on the right, upstream of the bridge is solid, near vertical ledge. It can't erode.
The state Agency of Natural Resources and the local Floodplain Administrator approved the plans, and they did require a hydrologic survey and report, which was performed beforehand. This has been a long term planned project with all the I's dotted and T's crossed. We've had 3 visits from the state during construction, and the final approval will happen when we're done -- possibly as early as next Monday.
ps. oh, re. the older block -- Dave will use that for some other landscaping project -- they will be removed when he's finished here. They're fine for landscape retaining walls, and can do nice attractive curved embankments. He doesn't feel it will be hard to use for someone else. They're just not right for bridge abutments with steel beams crossing them.
PeterE:
Thanks for the answer Steve, I guessed you had it under control. It was just me thinking of spring flooding here in Sweden, which can be very violent at times and require quite a lot of preparation for structures like bridges.
Can't wait for the rest, its ever so interesting.
BR
/Peter
vtsteam:
Hi Peter, no problem, we've had as much water last month and this one so far to equal spring ice-out flooding. No problems so far at all.
re. progress, we're in road topping and cleanup mode, so there's nothing much interesting to see, yet. Yesterday Bill the trucker brought in 11 loads across the bridge.-- 154 cubic yards, and this morning, two loads of crushed rock topping. Just before supper I got an okay from Dave to begin building the railing, meaning excavator and trucking work are finished. I drove across the bridge myself yesterday, and my wife did this afternoon with groceries....a new convenience!
Tomorrow I hope to have the railings done, Dave will bring his tractor and York rake to crown and smooth the drive. Sam will show up to spread hay and grass seed on the areas beside the bridge and drive. By tomorrow evening we may be finished with this project! :thumbup:
vtsteam:
A belated last photo of the bridge with the railings up in the low October sunlight.
philf:
Steve,
Looks a "Proper Job"!
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Phil.
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