How to Design a Private Concrete and Wood Bridge

THE CHALLENGE

This creative project integrated Redi-Rock wall products and a recycled railroad car to create a unique and attractive bridge at a development in northern Washington.

The owner of the property wanted to connect two of the man-made lakes but retain the current roadway, making a bridge necessary.

THE SOLUTION

A local contractor recommended that the developer consider Redi-Rock to construct the fin walls and add an aesthetic appeal to the precast bridge abutments. The developer was impressed with the aesthetics and the engineering Redi-Rock offered.

Local Redi-Rock producer Wilbert Precast of Spokane, Washington, designed the project in collaboration with Coffman Engineers, also of Spokane. The owner wanted to use a 55 foot (16.8 meter) long steel railroad "flat" car that weighed 13,000 pounds (5896 kilograms) as the deck of the bridge. Designers specified 28,000 pound (12700 kilogram) precast concrete abutments that were 1 foot (0.3 meters) thick, 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall and 9 feet (2.7 meters) across. The precast abutments were covered with a Redi-Rock cobblestone veneer to match the Cobblestone texture Redi-Rock fin walls that flank the bridge.

THE OUTCOME

The project included 120 Redi-Rock 41 inch (1040 millimeter) gravity blocks.

The site encompassed 80 acres (32.4 hectares) and required one and a half miles (2.4 kilometers) of road to access the building site. The developer quarried all of the necessary stone to build the roads on site, then used the quarries to build four lakes. 

Project: Wolf Creek Ranch Bridge #78 Wall Engineer: Coffman Engineers Owner: Massnick & Co. Installer: Versatile Industries of Ione, Washington Block Manufacturer: Wilbert Precast, Inc. Location: Metaline, Washington Year Built: 2008