Building A Bridge

[Defective]

Koop,

I've used POR-15 on a few small projects. It works as advertised.

The down-side is the price. On large projects, I've found it's better to spend the time & money on prep work. Sandblasting is the way to go. If you can set the bridge up away from the water for a few days, I'd rent a big compressor & blasting equipment. Clean it up good, then spray on a solid coat of primer followed by a couple of coats of your choice of top-coat. Once it's done, set the bridge in place & touch up with a brush.

I like Devoe products. The primer I use most often for structural steel is DevGuard 4160. I regularly spray this on rusted steel with minimal preparation. (scrub off the loose stuff & blow the dust away...)

 

[2manyrocks]

So how much to actually buy the bridge, how much for delivery, and what's the overall project cost?

Who is going to travel over this bridge? Your personal use or a larger development?

You've sunk $30,000 just to get this bridge to your property so I assume something significant is involved.

Do you know when the bridge was first built?

Maybe the painting part won't be as controversial as the engineering. Let's all get our wives to pick the color....

 

[koop]

The bridge was $27500

2 Cranes was $1500

Hauler was $3000

This will be the access point for two primary residences and perhaps up to four in the future.

We go the land for less than market value because there was no legal access and no physical access (i.e. a bridge).

For what ever reason, the wife does not have a strong opinion on color so for once in my life the decision falls on my shoulders. I must turn to the TBN audience for help.

Dark Green maybe

 

[2manyrocks]

The money breakdown is interesting. I would have mistakenly guessed that you got the bridge for a few thousand at most and the rest was spent moving it. Wonder what you'll have in it by the time you prep it and paint it?

The framework of the bridge looks a lot like bridges I've seen from what I think is the early 1900's. I'm still curious about the actual age of this bridge.

I remember the local road folks got a deal on some surplus light green paint, and painted the local bridge a light pastel green after a lot of prep work. Years later, it was thankfully repainted a darker green.

 

[TC29-dude]

I think you ought to paint it barn red...that's an old school color for an old school bridge.

Great project...keep posting pix!

 

[patrick_g]

Why not a rainbow bridge? Or maybe a sort of a camouflage job for clowns. But wait, there is a reason. Paint that sells for $27-$32 per gallon sells for $5 a gallon when it is MIS TINTED at the big box stores. Best quality for lowest prices!

Maybe you'd get lucky and find enough so you could blend them together into a color you wouldn't mind. IT sholdn't be hard. Any paint in my new house that isn't plain white was custom blended by yours truly using OOPS paint.

You could save over $20/gallon and you will need quite a few gallons. I recommend an airless spray rig. You will still need a good primer first.
pat

 

[tallyho8]

If you paint your bridge by mixing many different colors of "oops" paint, be very sure to get and mix at least 5 gallons more than you plan on using because if you come up short or want to touch up some places in the future, it will be near impossible to match it.

 

[patrick_g]

If you paint your bridge by mixing many different colors of "oops" paint, be very sure to get and mix at least 5 gallons more than you plan on using because if you come up short or want to touch up some places in the future, it will be near impossible to match it.

That is why you paint on a butterfly, list of toll charges, or whatever.

Pat

 

[PA hayseed]

I keep thinking, how cool, a bridge. I wish I had some water on my property now, or at least something deep enough to warrant a bridge.

I agree with tallyho, make sure you have plenty of extra paint. Your problem with mixing paints will be that you are limited to mixing 5 gal containers. So you would in effect have to mix each 5 gal bucket in equal parts to ensure it is all the same color. If you don't care, then don't bother. I think you should paint the bottom with whatever, noone will ever see it. If you care about the exterior finish, prep work is the key to a good finish. there are a million and one paints to use, but on exposed steel, there are far fewer. We used epoxies on the steel superstructure we painted, make sure that you have junk clothes on when you paint with that stuff.

The navy, which likely has the harshest conditions that a metal structure will endure, used to use a primer called p51 or p151. Don't know if they still use it or not.

 

[koop]

Abutment and wing walls on the first side are now complete.

We are now digging on the other side to pour the footer.

About 50 hours of metal work have been done to address weak areas in the bridge.

I have prepped most of the bridge for painting and started priming.

I included a couple of pictures. The forms have now been stripped from the wing walls.

The green we tried as a sample looks better in real life but I still am not sure if it is better than the red.

 

[bindian]

The green we tried as a sample looks better in real life but I still am not sure if it is better than the red.

Koop,
Paint it one color for inbound traffic and the other color for outbound traffic. Then one color can grow on you or leave it with two colors.
hugs, Brandi

 

[RAILTRAC]

Neat looking bridge. We recently had two wooden railway bridges donated to us. Sorry I don't have any pictures. I can tell you they were being used up to the day they were replaced. They were only replaced because the railway double tracked that section. Our bridges will never carry trains only people.
We had to hire an Engineer to design the footings.
I wonder if the steel in your bridge has serial numbers,foundry name or a code stamped in the steel this might allow you to research what type of steel it is. All rail has a year built, serial number and foundry this is why the scrap man loves old railway track makes great rebar.

 

[Kendall69]

...I would note that the event in Wisconsin has only one thing in common with this thread, and that is they both involved bridges.

Your wrong they these two events have TWO things in common, they were both bridges, and the powers that be did not do what should be done to protect the public.

Here we have a bridge builder that refuses to do it right, and Wisconsin also had info and reports but failed to act - both KNEW what should be done, and both refused to do so.

In wisconsin - A key factor with this bridge is that it was an older non-redundant design, ( NOTE THEY KNEW THIS ) which the engineers call "fracture critical". The term "structurally deficient" is an engineering term that can be applied for a variety of reasons. ( THEY ALSO KNEW THIS AND DID NOTHING ) , though none of them would build a bridge like that today knowing what we know since 1967.
( Oh, and they didn't shut the bridge down )

So how did that conversation go "Hey dude, man is that bridge bogus, I would NEVER build one like that thing"

ALSO.....Inspections as far back as 2000 on the Wisconsin bridge identified both corrosion in the steel and a lot of cracking, says Stehly.

HEY here's an idea...lets let people keep driving on it.

Tell that one to the families that died. Uh, we knew the bridge was falling apart, but we still let people drive on it.

And now we have someone that refuses to engineer a bridge, yet wants to select a pretty color.

I've got a color, how about blood red!

 

[Renze]

And now we have someone that refuses to engineer a bridge, yet wants to select a pretty color.

I've got a color, how about blood red!

I suppose you've convinced the jury with your final plead...

 

[Renze]

Koop, do you want the abutments what is seen in this picture http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/projects/86664d1191174050-building-bridge-abut.jpg
to carry the bridge ?
I dont know on what these walls are resting, but it looks like a bit fragile to carry several tonnes of bridge.. ??

 

[khd]

Koop:

Regardless of the "sky is falling" posts I think it's a great project and can't wait to see it all set. Keep the pictures coming.

Kevin

 

[patrick_g]

Well, its green, green, green they say on the far side of...

OOPS, sorry... Either red or green will "work" but I think the green is clearly superior in appearance.

Those stick built forms sure look like a lot of work. Have you ever used "Snap Ties" and cam locks? The cams locks and accessories are usually available as short term rentals. They sure save on materials and effort while giving excellent results.

Pat

 

[koop]

Brandi,
You had me laughing for a long time, thanks for the reply.

RAILTRAC,
I see Lackawanna stamped on all the steal, but no more info than that. Is there a particular place I might look.

Kendall69,
You still just don't get it. The substructure for this bridge has been designed with an engineers help. It is at least 50% bigger than the substructure on which it set for 70 years. If you could see through your self righteous fog, you would know my problem with engineers was that they were not willing to divulge their safety factor. Get off your high horse and get in the spirit.

Renze,
Your input has been invaluable to me. You are looking at a 2' thick abutment wall which is 10' tall and 15' long. It sits on a 4' thick, 8' wide and 17' long footer. Both have two mats of 5/8" rebar on 1' centers. This matches or is greater than the state bridges up and down steam from us. Let me know what you think.

Khd,
Thanks. For some, the sky seems to always be falling. I will visit the project this weekend, so I will post new pictures.

Patrick_g,
We hired a VDOT contractor to do the work so the stick built forms were his call. As a builder myself, we use metal forms but we do not do a whole lot of concrete work. (mosty footers) Tell me more about the "snap ties" and cam locks.



We have settled on green for the color, and the bridge was primed today. New pics coming soon.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Bethlehem steel was a big steel plant in Lackawana, NY just outside of Buffalo. I don't know much about the plant as it was all but out of business since I started going that direction but I would think the Lackawana stamps are for the town. Maybe one of the othere WNY'ers will have a better idea if they read this thread.

 

[tommu56]

Robert_in_NY

Bethlehem steel had may fabrication plants.
The golden gate was built in pottstown pa and shipped to cal

and Bethlehem bough Lackawanna steel company

tom