We were tasked with replacing an old bridge (the one in the background) with a new bridge that met the following criteria,
- Be suitable for wheel chair access,
- Be aligned roughly at 45 degrees to the creek,
- Be capable of carrying the weight of several horses.
The result – a lovely little bridge that does the job and fits nicely within its environment
If your thinking bridges – Think Country Tradies & Construction
After marking out and deciding the best spot – in went the footings on either side of the creek
We topped the bridge with 45*140 ground treated pine timbers and 45*90 ground treated rafters
After constructing the footings, the fabrication of the bridge trusses began in the work shop.
It was decided that an open truss created from 50*75 & 40*40mm Square Hollow Section would provide the bridge with a good value combination of strength and cost affordability
The final steel trusses were undercoated with 2 pack epoxy undercoat
With the top 2 coats being Poly U 400 2 pack epoxy in a Primrose tint
We then left the painted surfaces to sit for 7 days to ensure a good curing period
After positioning the 4 trusses across the span between the footings they where bolted & grouted into position with non-shrink grout
After installation of the trusses the 45*90 ground treated rafters were bolted in. Prior to installation we had coated the rafters with a bituminous coating to ensure longevity of the rafters
Next came the top deck and hand rails.
Prior to installation of the top deck we painted the 45*140 ground treated timber with 3 coats of High-Wear decking paint to ensure a long wearing hardy finish suitable for high foot traffic.
After that, all that was left was installation of the concrete access pathway.
In all, a good long lasting foot bridge that met all the clients criteria and looks good to boot.
Country Tradies & Construction had done it again.
Nice job Country Tradies !!!! 🙂
If your thinking bridges – Think Country Tradies & Construction