I was vacationing with my family in my child hood town last summer. During the vacation, the town held a duck derby which involved several hundred ducks floating down a river to a finish line. A crowd of participants gathered on a very old, outdated and crudely constructed bridge. As I stood there watching I could see the bridge deflect and bounce and told my family to get off.
The bridge spans about 30' and consists of 2 hefty log girders (12-14" diameter) running parallel (spaced approx 3'). The decking is nailed across these logs. The girders are buried in the ground on either end and are untreated. The bridge guard is constructed of 2x4's that appear to have been a temporary solution that became permanent. In short, the bridge is in dire need of a good inspection and retrofit. The bridge was in existence when I was a child and caught my attention during the duck event. I am concerned about the saftey of the bridge, especially considering that the town holds nearly every "main event" in the park that the bridge services. The climate where the bridge lives can be considered as "severe", as winter exists there for a majority of the year.
I wanted to bring this up to the town and was wondering the best way to approach it. One of my past colleagues said that a bridge redo would most likely involve the Army Corps of Engineers. The stories I have heard about dealing with them usually involve long discussions of pain and grief.
Does anyone know an architect or planner with experience in Colorado with municipalities, bridges, fund raising and the Army Corps of Engineers?
The bridge spans about 30' and consists of 2 hefty log girders (12-14" diameter) running parallel (spaced approx 3'). The decking is nailed across these logs. The girders are buried in the ground on either end and are untreated. The bridge guard is constructed of 2x4's that appear to have been a temporary solution that became permanent. In short, the bridge is in dire need of a good inspection and retrofit. The bridge was in existence when I was a child and caught my attention during the duck event. I am concerned about the saftey of the bridge, especially considering that the town holds nearly every "main event" in the park that the bridge services. The climate where the bridge lives can be considered as "severe", as winter exists there for a majority of the year.
I wanted to bring this up to the town and was wondering the best way to approach it. One of my past colleagues said that a bridge redo would most likely involve the Army Corps of Engineers. The stories I have heard about dealing with them usually involve long discussions of pain and grief.
Does anyone know an architect or planner with experience in Colorado with municipalities, bridges, fund raising and the Army Corps of Engineers?
