Building low water bridge

[dwhite]

I have a year-round creek, about 20 feet wide, I'd like to be able to cross. I've thought about trying to calculate the flow and get enough big culverts and then bury them with rock to make a low water "bridge." The average depth at this crossing is about 6-8 inches. Maybe I should just fill the creek bed with rocks and drive through. What are the expert opinions? Thanks.

 

[donawilcox]

I will be intersted in what others have to say. Property I am buying has a wet weather creek and looks like when it pours this creek could flow. I am planning on building on the road side but hope to sell off some and they would have to build on the back side so this will be an issue. I will plan on using muliple culverts but will also have to concrete them in because of the amount of water it appears goes through this creek. I am sure during heavy down pours it would not be crossible for a short while.

Hopefully someone on hear has experience in this.

 

[wolfram]

While this does not answer your question, you might want to check out the US Forest Service and US DOT, which have a bunch of information on trail building/maintenance and low-water crossings. Here is a link:

Manuals and Guides for Trail Design, Construction, Maintenance, and Operation, and for Signs - Recreational Trails Program - FHWA

Given what you said and assuming light use, a ford might be servicable, if permitted in your area.

 

[MikeD74T]

The average depth at this crossing is about 6-8 inches. Maybe I should just fill the creek bed with rocks and drive through. What are the expert opinions? Thanks.

when I was about 12yo (1962) a neighbor had a rocky pasture bulldozed to make a hayable field. He next hired several neighborhood kids to pick rocks into his tractor bucket. He also wanted to ford a nearby brook so dumped the rocks into it. While the rocks, mostly potato sized, did firm up the bottom it also dammed up the water. The resultant crossing was about twice the original width by the time the ends stopped washing out. The ford is still in use. MikeD74T

 

[Dave5264]

May want to check with your local Municpal office or Minitry of Natural Resources (as we call it up here). We are forbidden from building Bridges across Many Creeks and Streams even when they are on our own property. many of our mapped waterways (even the small ones) are environmentally protected /conservation areas.

May be you have no such restrictions where you are or in this particular case, but thought Id mention it.

 

[FxdGrMind]

I built a creek bed 2 years ago (when I got the tractor), it's seasonal only, but needed to control the water to the pond and property as the valey emptied into the back 40 and the water just went everywhere.

I used a 16"colvert but found out last winter durring a significant "Wet" period of time that it wasn't enough for "All" instances. I will be installing an addtional 16" colvert next to the orrigional to manage the "Occasional" flow demands. The main road crossing is 16" and that's why I went with that size orrigionally... but I should have known better as water has backed up from that for 2 decades..... (what was I thinking??)

I'd say, what ever you think the fllow is on "Average" plan for double that at least. That way you have 1/2 a chance of avoiding scouring out of your crossing and having to re-do it.... like me.

Cheers

 

[buggyman1]

What about building-up both sides, then building a bridge across it. That would keep everything from washing out.

 

[MarkV]

Or do like they do in some national forests and set a culvert in the creek bed to handle normal flow. Then build up on either side of the culvert for your crossing knowing that during high flow water will run over the top of the crossing. If normal flow can be directed through the culvert bags of redi-mix concrete can be stacked as a buttress to hold your fill stone.

MarkV

 

[dwhite]

Thanks for the input. I'm liking Mark's idea. I want to put 2-3 culverts down but need to figure the flow. Any tricks to calculating stream flow?

 

[intel]

My uncle did a concrete low water bridge permitted through army core of engineers because it was a tributary to a navigable water way, Pricketts creek. he was told the top of concrete should not be any high then 12" above normal water flow any higher and the chances of wash out are more likely. he used 6 12" steel pipe 12" apart.

 

[savageactor7]

dwhite, 6-8" was the ave depth of our muck swamp that I was contemplating building a bridge or causeway across.

One summer it just dried up so I excavated down to the quick...about 20+ inches @ 6ft across then poured in stone. It took 3 dump trucks of stones but now we have a stable grade crossing suitable for all our wheeled vehicles.

Here's what it looks like during the winter LOL yeah I know not much to look at, but that's the way I wanted it. No maintenance either.

 

[radioman]

dwhite, 6-8" was the ave depth of our muck swamp that I was contemplating building a bridge or causeway across.

One summer it just dried up so I excavated down to the quick...about 20+ inches @ 6ft across then poured in stone. It took 3 dump trucks of stones but now we have a stable grade crossing suitable for all our wheeled vehicles.

Here's what it looks like during the winter LOL yeah I know not much to look at, but that's the way I wanted it. No maintenance either.

So basically you built a drive-on dam ?

 

[savageactor7]

Nothings damned up...that's what stalled me all those years cause ducks breed there in the spring. It's called an underwater crossing, the NVA used to do that in Cambodia so the crossings couldn't be seen from the air but still handle wheeled vehicle traffic. Remove the muck and replace with stone at it's natural level and now you have a good surface for vehicle traffic.

this is what's it like in the summer..trail surface is level with swamp bottom. You couldn't drive over it before doing this...sometimes even the 4 wheeler would get stuck.

 

[ampsucker]

around here, the county uses cement low water crossings. you drive on top of the cement level w/ roadbed and the water flows through it either through embedded culverts or formed channels. when the water gets too high to go through, it goes over. works pretty good if you don't mind getting wet occasionally and if you know enough when not to cross if the water is too high!

as mentioned in previous posts, don't make the bridge too high or the force of the water will push it over during flood stage. i would also consider driving rebar or other pilings down into the creek bed in several places before you pour so you can have assuance the bridge will stay put.

if you are planning on selling the half of the property on the other side of the creek, you won't find many buyers will to ford across a bunch of sumberged rocks to get to their house or whatever. you need a better bridge than that.

amp

 

[tommu56]

Thanks for the input. I'm liking Mark's idea. I want to put 2-3 culverts down but need to figure the flow. Any tricks to calculating stream flow?

Hew is a link
http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/pdf/level1/FactSeries-StreamFlow.pdf

tom