Pratt Truss-style bridge to be set at permanent home on future southern trail
The Maple Highlands Trail’s future southern portion will soon be one step closer to completion.
Media are cordially invited to watch and snap photos early Wednesday, May 29, as a 500-ton crane lowers the majority of a new Pratt Truss covered bridge onto its permanent residence.
The large concrete abutments it will now call home were left in place from the original bridge structure of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad. The majority of the existing 12.4-mile-long Maple Highlands Trail is located on an abandoned B&O Railroad corridor.
If you plan to attend the setting of the bridge, please RSVP as soon as possible to Sandy Ward at 216-965-6557. This will ensure your parking at Grandview Golf Course, just off the Durkee Road intersection; a 6:45 a.m. ride to the site on the EZ Go Cart, as walking takes roughly a half hour; and a call that morning in case of delay. Crane work is scheduled to begin promptly at 7 a.m.
The project to build a bridge over the east branch of the Cuyahoga River began in November 2011 with a design/engineering contract with Smolen Engineering of Jefferson, Ohio. Geauga Park District began developing design concepts in January 2012; Smolen’s services continued throughout 2012.
At this time, the project is set to make budget for supplies, materials, equipment and contracts. Smolen estimated the probable cost at $199,500, but just over $174,900 has actually been spent or set aside.
All elements of the bridge have been built in-house by Geauga Park District’s construction crew, with Steve George as project manager and Tom Salo as project foreman.
Construction began in April and May of 2012 with the removal of old wood decking from the existing steel railroad structure, concrete re-enforcement of the existing railroad abutments, and construction of a staging area adjacent to the bridge site to accommodate future construction and crane staging.
By July and August, Construction Department crews were building the cover’s cupola and deck panels for the floor, and beginning the layout and assembly of the main Pratt Truss, or vertical walls that make up the bridge.
In September and October, construction of the main Pratt Truss concluded, and crews began assembling construction materials for the roof trusses and siding.
As snow flew in the winter, work continued indoors to assemble roof truss components, paint siding, assemble various trim components, and detail motise and tenon (timber frame construction) of the knee brace trim.
Then, as recently as this month and last, crews utilized a crane to set roof truss structures, remove old steel railroad structures and install siding and various trim components.
Design is the big difference between this bridge and Geauga Park District’s Tare Creek Bridge, the county’s first authentic Howe Truss covered bridge registered with the Ohio Historical Bridge Association, which was erected in 2004. Tare Creek Bridge is a Howe Truss style; this one is a Pratt Truss style.
Blueprints for the Pratt Truss bridge, as well as photos from the day its roof trusses were set, are available from Sandy Ward upon request.
In other trail news…
By the end of 2013, The Maple Highlands Trail is slated to reach its final length of 20 miles, with new sections being added this summer and fall in Chardon and Middlefield.
The Maple Highlands Trail-Chardon Connector will be added to provide safer access to the City of Chardon for trail travelers approaching from the north. The paved trail will pick up at the current trail terminus on State Route 44, north of the city, cut back through the woods behind the State Highway Patrol, and follow the railroad right-of-way to connect with Fifth Avenue.
The Maple Highlands Trail-South will also be added from the current central trail terminus at Headwaters Park to Swine Creek Reservation in Middlefield. This section will have an aggregate surface and be open to pedestrians, bicycles and Amish buggies to provide safer access through the Village of Middlefield.
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