Is it possible to build a long wood bridge into a swamp?

[Anonymous No.1807325]

My family owns a farm next to a swamp/creek (Arroyo in Spanish).
The place is safe haven for dozens of species of birds, many fish, alligators, and many water mammals.
The thing is that the swampy creek is very wide, about a mile in the section next to the farmhouse.

I want to make some kind of bridge as close as possible to a nice spot near the center. It must be at least 500m (1640 feet) long and I know it will take years to finish.
I was thinking to use pallet wood, brand new pallets since they are cheap here (10-15 dollars each).

[Anonymous No.1807327]

>>1807325

This is not a /diy/ job. Call Jeff. You need boots on the ground.

And don't waste his time asking for estimate.

[Anonymous No.1807328]

>>1807325
>Is it possible to build a long wood bridge into a swamp?
Yes, but you need to start with how you are going to support it first. What span between supports? How deep do the supports need to be? Eventually, there should be something firm at the bottom of the swap but who knows how deep that is.

[Anonymous No.1807339]

>>1807328
Can't I make it stand still with something like this?
Concrete is not that expensive here.

[Anonymous No.1807340]

>>1807325
Build out a small causeway with soil, debris, and other waste materials. Extend the causeway as more material become available.

[Anonymous No.1807346]

>>1807340
Interesting, Yet I'll either need machinery or a strong back.
Tho I don't fear the shovel and pickaxe, I don't think I'll have the strength to make more than 10 meters a week for the first year. Because I also need to retake my college studies and to do other chores in the farm when I live there.

Maybe I should do the first 100 meters that way and then do the bridge. I'll have to make sure the land wouldn't just slide off due to the constant water.

[Anonymous No.1807351]

>>1807346
>I also need to retake my college studies

come again?

[Anonymous No.1807358]

>>1807351
Well yeah, I'm dropout. Humanities, I know...
But I really need to finish them and try to build myself a plan B homestead. No, I won't work for my family. Don't ask.

So this quarantine BS is blocking all of this but it would soon end.

[Anonymous No.1807363]

>>1807351
Oh, you must be from either America or Europe, here we don't actually need to be present at the university to go and take final exams.
Of course it is easier to go to classes, but some people work too much and can't. They just go to the finals date, approve, and go home.

[Anonymous No.1807377]

>>1807339
>that picture
It's not in a swamp.

[Anonymous No.1807378]

>>1807363
>from either America

yeah, when you said "retake studies" it sounded like you were going to take the classes again, which would be more torture than it was the first time around. anyway, good luck with the studies and the swamp bridge. Swamps are cool places if you like plants and animals.

[Anonymous No.1807398]

>>1807325
Yes its possible and doable.
In Sweden we have this thing called spång, which is like a very rudimentary bridge. It's used for marshy land where people cross. Builds quickly, lasts a couple of years. https://www.google.com/search?q=bygga+sp%C3%A5ng&oq=bygga+sp%C3%A5&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.10496j0j4&client=ms-android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=rfUdAe2c65C3-M:

[Anonymous No.1807417]

>>1807398
This looks promising, thanks anon.
I would maybe helpful to attach some kind of barrel to help in the swampiest areas.

I guess I should ask Finish people since they live in giant frozen marsh.

[Anonymous No.1807418]

>>1807325
>it will take years to finish.
By the time you finish it, the part you installed first will be rotten.

[Anonymous No.1807429]

>>1807418
Can't I just use a lot of cheap oils to keep the wood dry for at least 4 years?
The wood for the supports must be top quality, but how hard can be to change the pallet woods onces every 3 or 4 years?

Here to keep pic related dry they use a mix of "Asphaltic paint" and kerosene or gas oil. That's the cheap option.

[Anonymous No.1807435]

>>1807429

Depends if you want it to leech out of the wood and poison aquatic and bird species up the food chain. Why not use concrete pilings to keep the wood dry with cedar oil

[Anonymous No.1807442]

>>1807429
>>1807435
Yeah be wary of what you use so to not poison the birdies and woods. Concrete is a pretty safe way to go, and if you keep the wood out of the water, it'll last longer.
Use a mix of wood tar, linseed oil, and turpentine. Works pretty good.

[Anonymous No.1807472]

>>1807327
Kek, fpbp!

[Anonymous No.1807612]

>>1807339
That will sink, in a swamp

[Anonymous No.1807618]

>>1807325
Consider a pontoon bridge. Like pic related, but using steel drums as floatation .

[Anonymous No.1807619]

>>1807618
Also many chemical companies allow people to take used drums.

[Anonymous No.1807621]

It's pretty common in the South to have boardwalks and docks out into swamps, like this one at Fontainebleu State Park. I think it's just creosote-treated timbers driven into the swamp until there's enough skin friction to support the structure, and then the structure itself is either pressure-treated lumber or just left untreated and replaced as necessary.
That's also how you build most house foundations in Louisiana.
You probably shouldn't be treating your own wood; I'm sure you could order some specifically for this, but you'd need a piledriver as well.

[Anonymous No.1807623]

>>1807621
Forgot my old low-res pic

[Anonymous No.1807659]

>>1807325
Pallet wood is usually 3\4 pine. Not the best for supporting a person's weight. There's a trail near me in the piney woods region that is basically what you describe. Just a boardwalk over a swamp. It's awesome

[Anonymous No.1807925]

>>1807417
I remember getting chewed out for labeling like this (supposedly you shouldn't mark all three of a, b and sum of a+b). Always seemed like bullshit to me.

[Anonymous No.1807943]

[Anonymous No.1807948]

>>1807417
Here's what the finnish forest ministery uses for swamp trails, looks similar to that swedish one. It's in finnish but I'm sure you can figure the drawings out
https://www.metsa.fi/documents/10739/11431/2231_01.pdf

[Anonymous No.1807963]

>>1807325
Do it. I bought some property with a swamp out back & built a little walkway out to a small gazebo. Draped it in mosquito netting & put a little fire pit in the middle. It's fookin awesome in the spring & summer.

I used treated lumber and concrete posts. Had to go pretty deep in a few spots is all, like 5' down. Auger is your friend.

Sure, it'll sink over time, but nothing I can't patch up over the 10-15 years I live hear. Not everything has to last forever.

[Anonymous No.1808158]

>>1807943
This. But longer.

[Anonymous No.1808199]

You almost certainly would need to get a permit and get it approved by the Army Corp of Civil Engineers (assuming you live in the US.) Building anything in areas classified as wetlands can be a difficult thing to do for the reasons you originally stated.

I don't think they will approve a permit for a DIY pallet wood project that'll probably be abandoned in a couple months when it gets too expensive or time consuming.

[Anonymous No.1808389]

>>1808199
OP is in Mexico so wetlands can be filled without issue.

[Anonymous No.1808407]

>>1808389
Fair enough.

Still a stupid idea, but at least it would be a legal stupid idea.

OP, how do you plan on your pallet wood not rotting away in two years before you actually finish the project?

[Anonymous No.1808415]

>>1808199
>>1808389
>>1808407
USACE only cares about filling/dredging/draining wetlands or obstructing navigable waterways. They don't give a shit about boardwalks, which OP wants to build. A boardwalk has no impact on the hydrology of a wetland so the corps does not have jurisdiction unless it crosses a navigable waterway. May still be local laws that apply.

[Anonymous No.1808828]

>>1807325
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNaXdLWt17A

[Anonymous No.1808935]

>>1807325
>brand new pallets
Why not get used ones they are only $3 each?

[Anonymous No.1808941]

>>1808389
I'm not in Mexico. I don't know why do you assume that.
I'm from Argentina.
I don't think they use the word Cañada for wetlands up there.

[Anonymous No.1808947]

>>1808941
>Argentina
Do they care about filling wetlands with debris and garbage?

[Anonymous No.1808963]

>>1807325
We have one of those up here in a peatbog about that length, although it's a horse shoe shape. They use plastic barrel like floats with wood on top to keep it from rotting.

[Anonymous No.1808964]

>>1807325
Don't be a fag who fucks up a wetland area. Use suspension from hilltop to treetop, etc.

[Anonymous No.1808981]

>>1808941
Correct, we use Canada to describe a wasteland, not a wetland. Namely, pic related.

[Anonymous No.1809089]

>>1807325
give us a pic of the area you wanna build on. are there standing trees you could use to support your bridge?

[Anonymous No.1809120]

Aight OP I'm gonna tell you what you don't want to hear. Pallet trails are dumb. We have a 1/4 mile pallet trail into a real swamp in northern mn. It was originally felled tree trunks then about 25 years ago some relatives put pallets on top. Lots of pallets. We had to add another layer 2 years ago because my dad wanted to keep it alive. Now it's a dangerous shit hole where you break through two layers of pallets every couple steps. By some act of god nobody has broken an ankle yet. We Will not be rebuilding it again. Once this layee sinks into the swamp- another 7-8 yrs- we will be using good knee high boots to tread through the wet ground. And hopefully not get tetanus when we inevitably take a pallet nail through the muck boot.

[Anonymous No.1809144]

>>1809120
Why aren’t you burning it off?

[Anonymous No.1810628]

>>1808947
Hey, I'm not planning on letting it fall to the water.
And our garbage goes to the Congress only.
>>1808981
¿Cómo se dice, "Bañado"?
>>1809120
Well, I guess my dad will tell me something like that anyways.
So the only real option of use something like pic related treated for water resistance. So expensive and it would take years and years.
Maybe I'll have to inherit the project to my children.

[Anonymous No.1810638]

>>1807325
use pallets. Thank me lateryou can get them free

[Anonymous No.1810791]

>>1807943
3rding this.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Floating-Dock-with-Barrels/

[Anonymous No.1810796]

>>1809120
This, those pallets only last a very short amount of time before your foot goes through them due to general weather rot. If wood needs to be used, use marine-rated/seawall treated, heartwood lumber that's from one of the rot-resistant tree species only. Even then you have to use a oil-based, UV-resistant stain every 2 years.

[Anonymous No.1811114]

>>1807618
>>1807619
This is what I was thinking as well but with plastic drums to prevent corrosion.

[Anonymous No.1811115]

>>1811114
Plastic drums can be combined with plastic deck boards (which resemble wood but do not rot). Steel rusts quickly and wood rots so I'd avoid those unless the wood was cedar etc.

[Anonymous No.1812081]

>>1807325
Absolutely it is possible. The land preserve White Memorial in Connecticut has just that, a nature trail that runs into and circles around the perimeter of a swampy marshland using wood in the style pictured. I don't know if they have the info online but alot of the information on how they did it was written on plaques around the trail.
Sorry I no longer live in the Litchefield Hills because I am not a masochist, so i am unable to detail everything.

[Anonymous No.1812085]

>>1812081
This is a video taken on it. And the little info White Memorial has on their website detailing.
So at 1/5th of the distance approximately. It is actually a very realistic goal and should only take you a year of diligent work.
https://youtu.be/5NlVkbYvF0I

[Anonymous No.1813118]

Yes, this is an interesting ancient example.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Track

[Anonymous No.1813123]

>>1808964
Sorry this is an illegal structure, it must have handrails at least 4.5 feet high be widened to a minimum of 5 feet wide and be able to support a family of 3 foot tall Guatemalans (roughly 10000kg)

[Anonymous No.1813171]

>>1813123
Why would a Guatemalan go to Argentina?

[Anonymous No.1813803]

>>1813118
Was just about to post the Sweet Track. Older than the Stonehenge, so OP has no excuse.
>200 tons of wood for two kilometers
Well maybe some excuse.

[Anonymous No.1813811]

>>1808947
The bridge is supposed to keep them from going into the water.

[jimmydiresta !IoJVDOyB1c No.1813828]

>>1813123
so fucking what

[Anonymous No.1813838]

just buy 2x12 treated lumber and 4x4s for post

sharpen the ends of the 4x4s use a post driver to drive them into the dirt start with 1 on each end o the run then you can make it straight with a string line.after you drive a post every 5-10ft nail up the 2x12s to the 4x4s tie the runs together with cross bracing were needed. deck the top with more 2x12s or other planking it will look just like the picture

pallets become real shit when you pay for them

[Anonymous No.1813845]

We need more info on the location OP, can you post a pic?

I would if possible prefer a a suspended bridge as you can make it in the workshop and no wood is constantly wet. But idk if there's enough trees in your area.

Second option if there's a lot of willows around, is to tie the (~2 year old) branches into bundles and just throw them in. It's enough to spread your weigjt and walk over some soggy mud, but not deeper water off course.

A third option if there's enough tall trees is to cut some down, either let them lay in the mud to spread your weight or use the stub as a support to keep it above the water. If you like use an adze to make a somewhat flat surface to walk on.

[Anonymous No.1813858]

>>1813838
>drive them into the dirt
>Just
It’s a swamp. Haven’t you read the post??

[Anonymous No.1813862]

>>1813171
they were trying to move up in the world, and thought it worked alphabetically.

[Anonymous No.1814066]

>>1813858
you just have to stick them into the ground a few feet the top being tied together is what will hold it retard
use your brain

[Anonymous No.1814076]

>>1807325
Your thin pallet wood is going to get UV damaged unless this is covered.

[Anonymous No.1814121]

depende de cuanto quieras que dure, mas de 3 años sin cambiar la madera significa que tenes que usar madera muy dura o incluso si pretendes que dure para siempre se puede usar caoba, maderas para pantano, algarrobo o incluso quebracho si queres que dure para siempre

[Anonymous No.1814745]

>>1814066
>retard
?
>the top being tied together is what is going to hold it
What part of the top keeps the posts from sinking? It’s a swamp. That’s soggy vegetation and silt many feet deep.

[Anonymous No.1814823]

>>1814745
the fact its tied together at the top if one sinks more have to sink with it 2x12s will want to stay straight

its like you have never built anything in your life or something or been in a swamp

[Anonymous No.1814869]

>>1814823
If you’ve ever walked through a swamp, you’ll notice they don’t support high psi loads. That’s why posts won’t stay up when under weight.
Don’t take it from me, read it from the experts in
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_018152.pdf

Now drown yourself.

[Anonymous No.1814876]

>>1814869
seems to work fine all around the world for everyone else buddy
you think all swamps at the same with infinite depth for some reason a 4x4 sunk 10ft in the ground is going to be plenty solid

[Anonymous No.1814880]

>>1814869
>implying you even know what your talking about

[Anonymous No.1814912]

>>1814876
> you just have to stick them into the ground a few feet
Is it 10 feet, or a few feet?
And your pictures aren’t swamps. The only thing you can be safe with, is spreading the load on a soft marshy surface.
Learn engineering, not just building.

[Anonymous No.1814918]

Op do it like parks do.

Concrete pillars. I beams the long way. Short planks made of wood that sit against the webbing, rests on the flanges. Even c channels would work.

Hard part is the frame. Then little by little you make the boardwalk and rails. Easy to maintain and will last a long, long time. The beams can even be fucked up for construction spec so scrap works. Rustoleum for protection.

[Anonymous No.1815099]

>>1814121
>algarrobo o incluso quebracho si queres que dure para siempre
Si, eso sería la opción NACIONALISTA y pragmática, y cara también.
Bueno el lugar está a 1 km de una vieja torre de La Forestal (pic de ilustración). Así que es zona de algarrobo y quebracho.
>>1814918
OP here (don't know how to prove it since I've lost the (you)s) I guess money is the only way.
Oh well, I plan to live at least 40 more years.