Bridge Transformation
While we believe that it is always better to be humble, sometimes you earn the right to ‘toot your horn’ as the saying goes. This is a story that we are very proud about from a number of perspectives.
A very successful and reputable construction company out of Connecticut – O & G, Inc. – asked us to come and look at a bridge they wanted to replace on the Torrington Golf Club in Goshen, CT. Torrington is a beautiful golf club with a rich history, including hosting several major regional and national competitions.
The bridge in question was 20’ X 12’ and was used for equipment weighing up to 14,000 lbs. O & G was donating the bridge to Torrington as a memorial bridge in honor of 3 deceased brothers who were founding partners of O & G and had spent many enjoyable days at Torrington GC.
After supplying an initial quote, we went to examine the old bridge – wood planks on 3 steel beams. Based on our analysis of the bridge, we determined that the steel beams were in great shape and that we could reduce the cost considerably by incorporating these into the new design.
The original bridge
The particular challenge presented to us was that O & G wanted something very special as a memorial bridge. Working with our Design Team, O & G decided on a ‘Hogan’ style bridge which has an arched deck and ‘rubble’ stone fascia on each side. We had to design and engineer a solution that arched the deck, accommodated Vehicular Live Loads of 14,000 lbs. and had a fascia on each side.
The solution started with making structural deck panels with progressively deeper beams to create the arched deck. We custom fabricated 5 – 4’ panels, each the full width of the bridge, and these were attached to the steel beams to make the ‘structural-arched deck’.
Deck panels being fitted over the steel beams.
From there, we attached the ‘stone’ fascia to the deck beams and capped it with a curb. The curbs on each side of the bridge deck have inscriptions denoting the memorial tribute that was the inspiration for the bridge.
The finish product look like this Hogan Bridge. (We are waiting for a picture of the installed bridge at O & G Inc.)
To anyone looking at this bridge, it appears to have a concrete deck, granite curbs and ‘rubble’ stone with mortar as a structural arch on the sides. In reality, all of the components added to the steel beams that were retained were made of 100% fiberglass.
We started this story by telling you that our team was particularly proud about this project. Let us close by telling you why:
- Our association with the O & G and Torrington GC Teams – a more professional group of people would be hard to find. Their thoroughness and attention to detail made them a pleasure to work with.
- Our efforts to help our client save money by retaining and re-using steel beams that have another 25+ years of useful life left in them. We credit our Design Team with engineering a method to create an arched deck on flat steel.
- The final product is really a ‘work of art’ that will serve the members of the Torrington GC for many generations to come and provide a lasting tribute to the 3 deceased brothers who are honored with inscriptions on the bridge.
