Chicken wire application ?

[Roy]

Shingles are a bad idea from an environmental point of view. Shingles eventually break down into a pile of tar, sand and fiber. Shingle are easy to put down now, but very difficult clean up in 10 or 30 years. Hardware cloth is easy to pull up and recycle. It is really kinda wrong to use shingles now and leave a future mess for someone else to clean up.
I do not think using shingles is good stewardship.
Roy

[Sherpaboy]

There is that one A-frame kind of bridge at burchfield. It has been at least 3 years of no maintenance (AFAIK) and the shingles look fine.

Again NOT a flat surface....A frame implies that the structure has a pitch - which shingles are designed for.


As stated in my original response the BEST solution is to build s straight bridge which will prevent riders from turning while on it. Add a slight pitch and the water will drain well too preventing possible ice build up.

[RickPlite]

used rough sawn cedar instead of treated lumber like they do in Copper Harbor, then you can curve it all day long.

[ibisman]

There are shingles on the small bridge at Hickory glen that have been there foe many years and still are working. As for the "environmental" part...I'll bet all of your homes have the "dreaded" shingles on the roofs. get a life. As for the bridge at morton/taylor it does have a pitch so the water will run off but we wanted to add some kind of traction when wet. I guess everyone can go around the bridge so we don't have to use "shingles".

[Steve_Balogh]

This thread needs a pic so everyone knows what Gary is talking about. What you don't see is when this area gets flooded in the spring, some of the bridges end up under water, this one surely will if it were completely flat:

[Mack]

If the bridge is under water at times I would go with the wire mesh. We have this same problem
at CRPT every year multiple times.The wire mesh works and is long lasting.

The bridge is 4 feet above the creek bottom and a foot under water in this picture.
This is what 7.64 inches of water in 2 days looks like.

[brokenbones]

Gonna' have to disagree with Sherp's assertion that straight bridges solve the problem. I hit one of the short bridges on the west loop at Holdridge on a damp day last November, and was down before I even knew what was happening. The bridge is straight as a die, and my tire just washed out instantly. Fortunately, the water next to the bridge was only ankle deep, and only my pride was hurt.

The galvanized hardware mesh on the bridges in the Pines at Stony seems to work pretty well and has held up for a few years. There's a cool serpentine bridge at Markham Park in Florida called DNA that's covered in shingles. They really provide a lot of grip, but the bridge constantly changes pitch and roll, so it sheds water pretty well, and they probably last quite a while.

DNA Bridge Markham Park Florida

[Mack]

Brokenbones, I know the bridge your talking about. IMO all bridges that are built out of treated wood
straight or curved should have some kind of traction on them, they get slippery when wet...hmm I know
I've heard that before somewhere. Anyway unless you are using untreated rough cut timber, I think all
bridges need some kind of traction.

[utabintarbo]

FWIW, at Addison we dump fine limestone on the approaches to the bridges. This keep the moss, etc. off them and effectively impregnates the wood with limestone grit. And we do have a rather long bridge or two.

[Critter7r]

What about zipping some cross-hatching into the wood with a chainsaw?

[jonw9]

There is that one A-frame kind of bridge at burchfield. It has been at least 3 years of no maintenance (AFAIK) and the shingles look fine.

Again NOT a flat surface....A frame implies that the structure has a pitch - which shingles are designed for.


As stated in my original response the BEST solution is to build s straight bridge which will prevent riders from turning while on it. Add a slight pitch and the water will drain well too preventing possible ice build up.

I didn't say it was flat. I specifically mention A-frame to not imply a flat surface. Thank you for explaining to me what I meant.

Going back to the OP, I don't see a mention of the bridge being flat, and the picture posted does seem to indicate some pitch.

[jeredt]

You might want to try some tile mortar. I would just apply a thin coat and then trowel in some 1/4" grooves for traction. Some of that mortar is tough stuff!

[c0nsumer]

You might want to try some tile mortar. I would just apply a thin coat and then trowel in some 1/4" grooves for traction. Some of that mortar is tough stuff!

That's an interesting idea. I wonder how sliced (siped?) logs with a layer of morter would hold up. This might be worth a test...

[Critter7r]

You might want to try some tile mortar. I would just apply a thin coat and then trowel in some 1/4" grooves for traction. Some of that mortar is tough stuff!

That's an interesting idea. I wonder how sliced (siped?) logs with a layer of morter would hold up. This might be worth a test...

THAT'S IT!!!

If you use mortar, you'd have to scratch up the surface, you coulnd't just put it onto smooth boards.

OR...
Make a tool that will scratch the surface of the boards with 1-2mm deep cuts (like a small, hand-held garden rake that you could press and drag over the boards), pour water on the boards and then coat them with concrete. Make sure nobody ride on 'em for a few hours, though.

Somebody try it and see how it works.

[Roy]

If you experiment with mortar , also try pure Portland cement.
You might also try mixing cement with house paint. The rubber in the paint will allow for expansion and contraction. I know a mix of the two will harden because I use "ready -mix" to harden up old house paint that I want to toss in the trash.

Roy