On Jun 10 the Thornburg area of the Birkhead Wilderness had over 4 inches of rain during a very short period of time. The brand new bridge over Betty McGee Creek took a beating and barely survived. The creek rose up about 7 feet higher than the grade level of the bridge. The fill dirt by the river left footing was completely washed away allowing the water to lift the bridge and push it downstream about 8 feet until a Sycamore secured it from further movement.
Damage to the wood structure was minimal but now both sides are off their footings.
The Forest service had their engineering staff investigate. Their initial plan to remedy the situation is to raise the bridge to the highest level of the bank and add 15 feet of length. Meanwhile, the bridge will continue to serve as a crossing but with a caution warning.
No comments:
Post a Comment