Project

Timothy Branch Timber Bridge

Client

Timothy Branch Community

Location

Brandywine, MD

The Details

The Challenge

The Timothy Branch Community had a creek that ran through the development and was disrupting a path that was being built for walkers, Joggers, and cyclists. This path was asphalt and the county was not going to allow asphalt in this sensitive, wetlands area. Their only option was a bridge to cross the creek. The issue here was the access to this location was too narrow for big equipment to access it, so a total span bridge was not going to be able to work.

The Solution

The solution Black Creek Construction gave the community was a timber bridge that was pile-driven. This bridge would be built with a mini-excavator and a skid steer, both of which could maneuver in tight spaces. The bridge would be rated for 5-ton use which allowed our excavator to build the bridge using our top-down method. This method was ideal due to the sensitive wetlands area that could not be disturbed. After discussions back and forth as to the width, location, elevation, and hand-rail design. The final product can be seen below. The piles ended up driving down more than 10’ and we had a static load test done to meet the requirements of the county.