bridge construction on a budget

[EddieWalker]

Looks really nice.

Here in East Texas, we get 4 feet of rain every year, horrible humidity in Summer and every type of wood eating bug possible. Railroad ties cost $20 each and last less then ten years. The bugs get past the tar, oil and creosote, and eat out the wood from the inside. The main and humidity gets inside there and speeds up the process. They look perfect for years, but then one day they just fall apart.

Hopefully your area is better then where I live. The railroad puts them on a bed of gravel so they can move as a train passes, but also to help them last longer by not having any contact with the soil, or sitting in a puddle of water after it rains.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

You made the delivery harder to a whole new level lol ... but yes that make a solid bridge still some with restriction tho.

View attachment 728927

Most of what the Railroad closest to me is surplusing are the old forty, fifty, and sixty footers. And, you need to take a hard look at one before you buy it, because some of them have fatigue cracking.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Looks really nice.

Here in East Texas, we get 4 feet of rain every year, horrible humidity in Summer and every type of wood eating bug possible. Railroad ties cost $20 each and last less then ten years. The bugs get past the tar, oil and creosote, and eat out the wood from the inside. The main and humidity gets inside there and speeds up the process. They look perfect for years, but then one day they just fall apart.

Hopefully your area is better then where I live. The railroad puts them on a bed of gravel so they can move as a train passes, but also to help them last longer by not having any contact with the soil, or sitting in a puddle of water after it rains.

thank you, yes in order to make it really bullet prove I would've used these mesh square filled with rock's but it would've been a lot of work since you basically need to fill then by hand ... I am thinking the ties will decay but the gravel and clay around it will just support things in place (fingers cross), I expect some settlement but we will see with time, hopfully I am good for 20 years

 

[yanmars]

Hard to believe it could be done so reasonably. Nice job.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Hard to believe it could be done so reasonably. Nice job.

thank’s… I know right .. I got a deal on pretty much everything other then the B train trailer even then it was a deal. My friend own the backhoe so the rental was at his cost, gravel I got a good deal since I loaded and hauled it myself plus I payed cash. The rail road ties was pick up for free from the side of the railroad and the rocks was free as well I just had to pick them up by hand and place them by hand, that wasn’t hard at all, plus it was 86 degrees Fahrenheit when I did it and I did 4 load but ya no bull crap over here.

 

[yanmars]

I reread my post. I did not mean to imply I did not believe your cost. Only that you did well and I was envious of the price and work.

 

[Rockbadchild]

first thaw of its life, things are looking pretty good maybe one or two more yard of rocks and it should be bullet proof.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the update. It still looks really cold there!!!!

 

[boostmg]

awesome idea and work!

 

[5030]

I had the same issue (bridging the creek out back) but approached it differently and for less money. I purchased a heavy wall pre cast concrete culvert 6 foot in diameter and had it delivered to the site (1200 bucks). Set the culvert mid stream and backfilled around it until even with grade with number 5 gravel (3 tri axle dump loads for 700 bucks delivered). Start to finish, 2 days.