I need a new BRIDGE!!!

[ultrarunner]

Just wondering where someone would go to buy a RR flatcar and the expense of moving and rigging.

 

[Hollow]

Just wondering where someone would go to buy a RR flatcar and the expense of moving and rigging.

You can find four or five just using a Google search. I think the top result I looked at last night had a 86' ttx piggyback (car designed to haul two semi trailers) for $13,000. If it can hold two loaded semi trailers it will easily hold a single lp gas or fire truck. If there are any shortline railroads in your area you could go ask them. They might have something their about to scrap that they'll sell really cheap.

 

[Sutol]

Might be cheaper to build a house the other side of the stream:laughing:

 

[bradm64]

What is the purpose of the bridge? Actually, before some body says "to get across the creek", lets rephrase to ask "why do you need to get across?"

Do you plan on building a home that would require routine access, including getting materials in (concrete trucks?) or is it recreation/farm ground? That would drive a big part of how much to spend.

I was fortunate to find some large steel beams, and had a contractor form piers and set the beams, then place a concrete bridge deck on it. To date, have had lots of concrete trucks, tri-axle gravel trucks, etc. across the bridge. I don't think a fire truck or ambulance would be a problem.

With the price of steel now, if you plan on a real permanent bridge to support a home, I think the rail flat car is the way to go.

If it's just for low water crossing for recreation, might be hard to justify the bucks.

 

[tbearnla]

what about installing some large corrugated metal culverts and filling with dirt and gravel instead of a bridge. They make them in different sizes I seen some big enough to walk in and more than one can be used.

 

[smiley]

It would seem that the most economical way to go would be flatbed trailers. Cheaper than I beams and no problem getting them to the site like with a railroad flatbed. It shouldn't take more than a few hours for a large loader, excavator or crane to place them. I'd consider drilling the existing concrete foundations and pouring on top of them to whatever height you need to get out of the water, then geotextile and heavy rip rap to protect the piers. As Jerry/MT mentions, get it up out of the water to lessen the forces on the entire structure. I have installed many of the corrugated culverts and multi plate arch culverts mentioned by tbearnia, but they are expensive and I'm sure you'd get into all kinds of hassles with the state/epa for obstructing a stream. We did most of our stream work here in NYS on the night shift at about 3 AM. It's a lot easier that way. By the time the inspectors see it, the stream is all cleared up. My 2 cents.

 

[Rowdy Raven]

Thanks for all the great input. Presently we have three of us that have homes/ cabins on the far side of the stream. Between us we have SUVs, pickups and a couple of tractors. I have made a couple of inquiries about the rr flatbed, having something that would reach all the way across and that w could get well above the water would be awesome. I am going to try to meet with the various owners here shortly to start forming a plan.

Any other suggestions?

 

[beeforty]

I would vote for making it higher, because one of these floods some one's brush pile is going to get snagged on your center. Next door neighbors bridge collapsed in '82 that way, another up stream floated off the footing downstream till it hit 1st sharp turn in creek and got wedged. Happened to be behind the inlaws house close to creek and back corner settled 8" I got lucky couple years later and got some 30" hi I beams that the state took out from a bridge they replaced. Scrap was low then and only paid $2500 for 6 24"s we spliced together:thumbsup: Of the 3 newest bridges in the neighborhood, there is one railcar with added width and railing(boocoo bucks I hear they lost tall abutments and paid to all of it done) and 2 with steel beams. 1 of the 2 has an open grating deck which might be good for you if you don't raise up the deck, water flows thru. The other guy drilled augers into the ground like you see for foundation reinforcing and poured a grade beam like across the top of the augers to make abutments. Went in real fast and he used PT decking:thumbsup:

 

[strum456]

If it were me, I'd set the bridge so that it would not go under water. going underwater is what got you into the situation you're in. The drag from the water generates large forces that act in the direction that the normal bridge structure is the weakest-lateral bending.
Spend your money on raising the concrete abutments so this can't happen and use a railroad flat car for a bridge deck. You can then regrade the approaches to the new bridge deck height. As the population increases and more land is put in too housing, roads , etc , run off increases and these "100 year flood events" happen more often. To minimize the risk in loosing the bridge again that's what I would recommend. It will be cheaper than replacing the bridge in few years.

Exactly right. I like the railroad car idea too. How does one move a railroad car though? The mobile home frames I have seen are pretty thin for your application.

 

[ultrarunner]

I would vote for making it higher, because one of these floods some one's brush pile is going to get snagged on your center. Next door neighbors bridge collapsed in '82 that way, another up stream floated off the footing downstream till it hit 1st sharp turn in creek and got wedged. Happened to be behind the inlaws house close to creek and back corner settled 8" I got lucky couple years later and got some 30" hi I beams that the state took out from a bridge they replaced. Scrap was low then and only paid $2500 for 6 24"s we spliced together:thumbsup: Of the 3 newest bridges in the neighborhood, there is one railcar with added width and railing(boocoo bucks I hear they lost tall abutments and paid to all of it done) and 2 with steel beams. 1 of the 2 has an open grating deck which might be good for you if you don't raise up the deck, water flows thru. The other guy drilled augers into the ground like you see for foundation reinforcing and poured a grade beam like across the top of the augers to make abutments. Went in real fast and he used PT decking:thumbsup:

Any of these in and around Last Chance Road, Swanton or Davenport?