How Would You Fix This Bridge?

[tacticalturnip]

Put up a camera and live stream the bridge every time it rains. Charge for the pleasure of watching it wash away.

Hopefully you will get enough clicks to pay for a new bridge.

This seems like the best approach to actually bring in some money. Hoe out your bridge...

Could he stream it 24/7 under the pretense that eventually it's going to collapse? Then it's set it and forget it.

 

[paulsharvey]

Do box culverts handle flow better than culverts (same cross sectional area)?

Well... 1st thing; a box culvert is rectangular. A pipe, is either round or elliptical, although arc pipe exists, we dont use it down here. So, a pipe isnt well suited for a creek, as it either needs to be Huge, or it restricts flow. So; our OP, says 12-24" is normal flow; thats already 50% capacity of a 48" pipe at but its also 8 ft wide; so, we need like 3 48" pipes on a normal day to allow free flowing. If you see a pipe with water up to the mid section in a normal day, or even a monthly rain event, it's too small.

A box culvert, say in the OPs case, a 5ft tallx8 ft wide; gives no restriction on a day to day basis, unrestricted movement for animals, and is only at 40% capacity (based on the 24" flow). I kinda think, based on the range of 12-24"; 12" is normal base line flow; and 24" is a normal rain event? So, day to day, we are at 20% capacity.

Box culverts are Vastly more money than even a 60" pipe. You need to completely dewater the base, add 24" of #57 stone, level it, and crane in the sections. So, equipment alone is much much more. Cast in place... look at any DOT detail for a structure, and you will be dumbfounded by the rebar detail. Even a simple curb inlet... So; even a 32 ft long box culvert; once dry, level, and bedded; figure 2 weeks of rebar work; 2-3 days of form work; false work to support, concrete pump, ect.

Time is money; im guessing a box culvert for his creek is probably double 4x5s, with today's engineering; and around the $150k mark.

 

[airbiscuit]

Great explanation.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, a realistic box culvert installation;
step one; would be to look at the routing. Ideally, a new box culvert would be installed offset if possible, using the existing crossing to keep temporary access. If not; a temp access would need to be constructed. So, you would install erosion controls (turbidity barriers, silt fence), a 20-30T hoe with a driver head brought in; a full sized loader, and a truck load of sheet piles. You would set up the pumps; and discharge lines (with a sediment bag or other control). You would drive sheet piles up stream and down stream of the new crossing; and start the pump around; while another pump to dewater the area of the proposed box culvert is started. You would dewater about a week before excavating down atleast 24" below the bottom of the creek; and back will with #57 washed rock for bedding. Then the likely double barrel box culvert would be placed in 8 ft sections, atleast 4 sections per. Then back filled in lifts, and head walls on both sides formed, (again ton of rebar). They would pump the head walls (keep in mind, these are 16 ft long, about 8 ft tall, with a footer that goes well below the box culvert invert. Strip forms, and back fill in lifts, taking nuclear density tests in 6" lifts. Once 24" above the top of the box; then base and road surface. Next, sod everything disturbed, slopes, ect.
Only at that point can you start pulling the sheat pilings, and pump around; and remove, and restore the original crossing.

Point being; thats atleats 6 weeks of work; without any storms or anything. So, im getting probably $150,000, plus materials.... for the full blow, DOT spec crossing.

 

[LouNY]

Just drop a portable deck bridge on a couple of footers well back from the stream. Once the footers are in place just a bit of excavation on both sides of the culvert without getting into the "stream" bed. No "disturbing the stream" screw the DEC or whatever they call themselfs. Then nature will take care of the rest of the culvert.
Over and done.

 

[paulsharvey]

Not suited for the OPs conditions, but I have seen 5 barrel, 18" culverts; and even 8 24" pipes. Thats not normal, and places I've seen them used are Wide, shallow, swamp type enviroments.

Double 48" are pretty normal. We dont normally have the elevation changes to justify 60"/96" round pipe; and thats often the case where a crossing uses a box culvert.

As a note; bridges, box culverts, ect; even on a bike trail, are designed for atleast a 60,000# vehicle. So, they are a true bridge structure.

If the OP was younger, and had more help, and no regulatory restrictions; i would say, look into Army Corp/Seabees temporary bridge field manuals. If a temp timber bridge can hold a 60T Abrams, it will hold a UPS truck.

 

[paulsharvey]

On pipes vs boxes; one advantage to pipe, is they are self cleaning to some degree. Any sediment that settles out, sets down in the pipe invert; where any water flow is focused. Box culverts, can and do, often trap large amounts of sediment, and because of the wide, flat bottom, the sediment can build up in the bottom corners, and eventually you really can build up feet of sediment.

Now, with that focused water flow, the down stream end of a Pipe gets more velocity, and erosion

 

[bdhsfz6]

Just drop a portable deck bridge on a couple of footers well back from the stream. Once the footers are in place just a bit of excavation on both sides of the culvert without getting into the "stream" bed. No "disturbing the stream" screw the DEC or whatever they call themselfs. Then nature will take care of the rest of the culvert.
Over and done.

This is our current line of thinking.
We caught a bit of a break recently when a concrete contractor bought the last undeveloped piece of property in the tract served by the bridge. He's building a house and now has a vested interest in it's condition.
He is looking into possible "decking" options.

 

[2manyrocks]

https://www.govdeals.com/en/asset/2383/2787

10x20 government surplus bridge package looks to have a bunch of steel beams. Not sure what decking goes with it.

 

[bdhsfz6]

https://www.govdeals.com/en/asset/2383/2787

10x20 government surplus bridge package looks to have a bunch of steel beams. Not sure what decking goes with it.

An interesting idea, thanks for the link.

Transporting from Delaware would likely cost more than the bridge. We would also have to pay someone to assemble it since two 80 year old men wouldn't be able to do it alone.

So far, it appears our best approach is to let our soon to be "resident" contractor find a solution. His contacts in the concrete industry might keep the costs down.

 

[ruffdog]

Just drop a portable deck bridge on a couple of footers well back from the stream. Once the footers are in place just a bit of excavation on both sides of the culvert without getting into the "stream" bed. No "disturbing the stream" screw the DEC or whatever they call themselfs. Then nature will take care of the rest of the culvert.
Over and done.

^^Interesting....now if the OP had a business like this one nearby.

TerraCross Temporary Bridges - Sterling Solutions

 

[airbiscuit]

Just drop a portable deck bridge on a couple of footers well back from the stream. .... No "disturbing the stream" ... Then nature will take care of the rest of the culvert. Over and done.

I've wondered about that approach also. It would work if the culvert washes out. But what if the culvert collapses, and blocks the stream? Then you have a Dam,

 

[Rockbadchild]

Do box culverts handle flow better than culverts (same cross sectional area)?

there are advantage for box culverts but as far as maximum flow a round culvert is more efficient....

 

[LouNY]

That is why I would excavate some of the existing fill from around the culvert without encroaching on the stream that way nature can remove the rest.

I've wondered about that approach also. It would work if the culvert washes out. But what if the culvert collapses, and blocks the stream? Then you have a Dam,

 

[Captain Dirty]

Long-shot way of getting funding.

OP said the culvert was placed in 1913 and also indicated it had served multiple landowners. Is there a chance that it bore a name such as (landowner's name) Street or Road. The following story is apocryphal but so good it should be true. If you go that route, discovery may involve field trips to town hall and county seat for research.

An acquaintance, whom I would classify as a schemer and an operator, became a minor partner in a real estate venture to develop a 23-acre, land-locked parcel. They went before the Planning Board to get approval of the subdivision. After their presentation the chairman said, "This is all very nice, but how do you intend to access it? Everyone knows that land has been land-locked for decades."

The senior partner rose and pointed to the map. "You see these parallel stone walls; the land between them is Pope's Lane and is a town way. We will work closely with the town to bury utilities as the town improves the drainage and paves it."

The chairman rose to full bluster. "You have the effrontery to imply that the town should provide the access road for you; that is unconscionable."

At that point the attorney fo the partners rose. "If this goes to court, we are prepared to call Thomas McSweeney from the county highway overseers office who will testify that, for at least as long as he has been employed there, your town has been accepting monies for the maintenance of Pope's Lane as evidenced by its inclusion in the schedule of town streets upon which maintenance allowances are disbursed. We think it is unconscionable that the town has been diverting funds that were earmarked for Pope's Lane and misappropriating them for other purposes. We demand that the town bring Pope's Lane into compliance with current standards."

My acquaintance closed with the observation that there was a reason developers did not reside in the town in which they were developing.