A Beach House Bridge
CHALLENGE: Access home without 60 foot walk up stairs
SOLUTION: Build suspended walkway using Helical Piers for support
The thought of walking up a 60 foot elevation change on stairs every time you come home with groceries is daunting. So the plan developed into a garage with a with a 60 foot tower containing an elevator. The bridge would then span from the tower to the top of the hill making access to the home over the hill a pleasant experience.
The engineer designed a foundation for the two 80-foot beams to rest when they make contact with the top of the hill. The design was two 2 7⁄8 inch round helical piles installed with a safety factor of 2:1 on a 10 kip working load per. Additionally, two 1 1⁄2-inch square shaft piers were installed on a 30 degree angle into the bank for lateral support to the vertical piers.
Both the contractor and engineer overcame numerous obstacles that arose during this project.