The Bridge

After getting the front lot cleaned up, the next project was to build a bridge.  Between the front lot and the city street is the approx. 18 foot wide creek / irrigation ditch / flood control ditch.  The original creek was widened and concreted back in the mid 1980s after a couple of wet winters and some minor spring flooding did a little damage in town.  Without the bridge we were able to access the property via the neighbors bridge and also there is access to and through the back of the farm by way of a separate county road.  We were thinking because of cost that we would wait to put in the bridge until a later date.  But, after realizing that the ditch is dry in late summer because of heavy irrigation use else where around town, we decided to take advantage of that fact and build the bridge now instead of waiting a full year.  So, I talked Brian into coming up and helping me for three days and on Sept. 13, we began.

I designed the forming system (the lumber to contain the wet concrete) to be material that I will use later in the construction of the first barn.

Brian tieing the first mat of rebar.  I could not have built the bridge without his help.

After a second mat of rebar, it is ready for concrete. You can also see a little view of 200 East (the outskirts of town).

While discussing the idea of building a bridge, Lorraine asked if it would be a nice bridge or just a plane concrete ugly bridge.  So I decided to stamp the concrete with a wood gain texture, stain it brown and hopefully give it a little bit of a custom country look.

                     A week later I came back, and cleaned up the deck to reveal the finished look.  I will be back at a future date to remove the wood forms and to install wood curbs.