Chris lends his support to Paul's crib building efforts while Mike looks on approvingly.
"Frank, we need a work party real quick. Chris and Dave had a look at the bridge over Black Creek in Limehouse and we need to rebuild the crib."
It was Maureen Smith, Trail Maintenance Director for the Toronto section of the Bruce Trail, on the phone. Several thoughts raced through my head. I know that bridge. It's near where Dave and Linda Noble live. How soon is quick? What's a 'crib'? OK, we need people who knows something about construction. Where do I find them? Do we need to close off the Trail until the "crib" is fixed? For how long? Are there any scheduled hikes going through the area? The 'end-to-enders' are not going to be happy!
As if she were reading my mind, Maureen went on to explain that Linda and David Noble, the Trail Captains responsible for that sector of the Trail, had noted in their Spring 2000 Trail Report that the wooden framework, (the 'crib'), that supports the middle of the bridge has become severely rotten and the bridge has also been pushed away from the bank. Chris Walker, the Trail Development Co-ordinator for the Toronto Bruce Trail Club, reported that the beaver dam upstream has changed the flow dynamics of the stream since November of 1985 when the bridge was built. No, we don't need to close off the Trail, but we cannot afford to delay because it's a potentially hazardous condition. If we get a heavy rainfall or the beaver pond breaks the dam, the bridge could be swept away. Hopefully, no one will be on it when that happens.
Oh great! There's no hurry, but if we don't fix it, hikers and bridge could be swept down the Black Creek any day. Panic must have crept into my voice when I asked Maureen who should I call to make up the work party. She gave me half a dozen names to call and also suggested that I talk with Chris to go over the details.
Right! Chris! My very next phone call was to Chris who reassured me that it'll take a big storm to wash away the bridge. He explained what he planned to do. I didn't follow most of what he said about breaking apart the bridge and jacking up both halves to work on the 'crib' and then and taking out the dog-leg when we set it back down and ... What I heard and understood was: here is someone who knew what needs to be done and how to go about it and all he needs are a few strong back helpers.
"So, how many people do we need?", I hesitantly asked?
He too must have heard the panic in my voice because he replied that only a half a dozen or so would do. It's not the bridge over the River Kwai. He gave me the e-mail address for a few people who have come out to past construction work parties and we set July 5th as the work day. Only 15 days for me to round up the crew.
On Wednesday July 5th, seven of us met where the Trail exits onto Halton Regional Road 43 near the railroad overpass in the village of Limehouse. That was the closest point to the work site where we could park Mr. Van and the red trailer loaded with tools and material for the job. An hour or so was spent going back and forth carrying the tools and material from the trailer to the bridge.
Once everything was unloaded, I had a chance to
survey the condition of the bridge for myself. The bridge was in fact two bridges joined
in the middle with the southern one at a slight angle; hence, 'dog-leg'. The middle where
the two bridges were joined was supported by a timber framework filled with large rocks.
This 'crib' sat precariously on a rock outcrop located in the middle of the creek because
a large part of this rock formation had broken off as a result of the water rushing past
it over the years. The ''crib' was rotten beyond redemption and provided only token
support to the bridge pressing down on it. There was a noticeable sag in the middle
causing the bridge to be under water when the creek was running high. The fast flowing
water also eroded the bank on both sides. At the south end of the bridge there was
a meter wide gap between the bank and the end of the bridge. On the west side of the
bridge was the offending beaver dam, built parallel to the bridge and not more than a
meter away. On the east side, the water from the beaver pond spilled around the rock
formation in the middle and rushed down a steep drop into Black Creek.
Chris lends his support to Paul's crib building efforts while Mike looks on
approvingly.
Chris gathered us around him and explained his plan. We took apart the two pieces of the bridge and moved them out of the way so we can work on the 'crib'. After we unpinned the southern piece of the bridge, we set it aside on top of the beaver dam. For the northern piece, Birley Cowan tied one end of a rope to it, lashed the other end to a nearby tree and swung the bridge out of the way, suspended it in the air over the creek. The rotten 'crib' was demolished with little effort. Paul Keip and Mike Wasylenky built a new 'crib' using pressure treated 6x6 pieces. The new 'crib' sat snugly on the rock outcrop and was filled with all the rocks that we could scrounge from nearby. While the new 'crib' was being built, Dave Paape and John Cunningham prepared the south bank to receive the southern piece of the bridge. By straightening out the 'dog-leg', we can bridge the gap between the south bank and the end of the bridge. This way, the bridge can be supported and anchored to the south bank. After some discussion and careful measurements, the two parts of the bridge were pinned to the new 'crib' in a straight line and anchored to both banks. The dog-leg bridge over the beaver dam was no more. So too went the danger of imminent collapse or being swept away. In it's place was a bridge straight and sturdy. Just look at all that weight standing on it for the group photo!
March 2009: Note from Frank Chow. This bridge has been replaced by one, further downstream, built by CVC several summers ago.
Chris, John, Dave and Mike discuss where the bridge will reach the south bank.
Birley, Chris and Mike determining the proper elevation of the south bank in order for
the bridge to be level with the new 'crib'
Birley Cowan, Dave Paape, Mike Wasylenky, John Cunningham and Chris walker conducting
quality assurance tests.