Technical Description:
• Big R Bridge
® Rolled Girder
• Span: 60 ft
• Width: 12 ft
• Finish: Galvanized Steel
• Decking: Galvanized Grate
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1750 Pickering Road is a single-family residential property in East Pikeland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The home, which dates to the 1700s, is situated on a slope north of the creek, while Pickering Road is south of Pickering Creek. The only means of access to the home is by the driveway on Pickering Road, so Pickering Creek must be crossed. Since the elevation of the ford is below the top of Pickering Creek's bank, the ford is frequently overtopped by floodwaters.
In recent years, the overtopping has become more frequent, such that once a month or more the ford becomes impassible. The inability to access the home at times of flooding, combined with the inability to have fuel deliveries or emergency vehicles cross the ford results in a serious life safety issue. Due to the ford flooding, the owners decided to construct a bridge, so their home will be accessible during most flooding events.
The owner’s consulting engineer, Nave Newell, Inc. determined that a bridge was the only practical solution to meet the needs of the project. Due to past experience with Contech Engineered Solutions' bridge and drainage products, the engineer suggested a site meeting with Contech to review the existing conditions. At this time, a 60' x 12' Big R Bridge® Rolled Girder was selected as the best solution for its ability to meet site and budget constraints. Additionally, the clear span allows debris to pass under the structure without getting caught.
The Existing Conditions HEC-RAS model prepared for this study of the 1750 Pickering Road crossing correlates well with the published Flood Insurance Study information, which was prepared using the older HEC-2 hydraulic model. While the proposed bridge is a greater obstruction to flows than the existing ford, its impacts are minimal, with a 3.12" increase in 100-year Water Surface Elevation (WSE) just upstream of the bridge and an 1.92" increase near the bridge. Flood flows will continue in a similar manner as before with only 995 cfs of the total 8,300 cfs 100-year flow, passing under the bridge. 88 percent of 100-year flood flows will continue to flow above the bridge elevation, mainly in the overbanks. The bridge, with its minimal impact to flood WSE, will provide an essential life safety improvement for 1750 Pickering Road.
The chosen bridge deck elevation of 222' matches the elevation where the 1750 Pickering Road driveway meets Pickering Road. While this is more than three feet below the 100-year floodplain elevation, a higher deck would serve no purpose since Pickering Road is impassible during major flood events. In fact, a gate located just west of 1750 Pickering Road is closed during flood events.
Contech recommended several local contractors with experience installing similar bridges. The owners, Jay Rowan and Erin Downes, selected Flyway Excavating, Inc., and the project was completed over a six week period. Since this was a single access property, it was imperative that access to the property was maintained throughout construction. The bridge was delivered to the site in pieces and then assembled in the field before being lifted via crane into place.
In the end, the Big R Bridge was a great solution for the site, and the owners and Nave Newell, Inc. were pleased with the outcome.
“The bridge is working out well and has met our expectations," concluded Rowan and Downes. "We are very pleased with our bridge. Despite being more expensive, we chose open grate metal decking because it was a worthwhile investment. Additionally, the low profile guardrails were also a good decision, and I would recommend them for other residential applications."
Technical Description:
• Big R Bridge
® Rolled Girder
• Span: 60 ft
• Width: 12 ft
• Finish: Galvanized Steel
• Decking: Galvanized Grate
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