Building low water bridge

   / Building low water bridge #1  

dwhite

Bronze Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
Messages
93
Location
Broadway, VA
Tractor
Kubota G1900s, B-7610, L-5240
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.
 
   / Building low water bridge #2  
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.
 
   / Building low water bridge #3  
   / Building low water bridge #4  
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
 
   / Building low water bridge #5  
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.
 
   / Building low water bridge #6  
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
 
   / Building low water bridge #7  
What about building-up both sides, then building a bridge across it. That would keep everything from washing out.
 
   / Building low water bridge #8  
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
 
   / Building low water bridge
  • Thread Starter
#9  
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?
 
   / Building low water bridge #10  
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.
 
 
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