Slippery wooden bridge- suggestions?

[Lee Winger]

chicken wire followed by a few bags of grit

[john dawson]

score it wiv a saw to provide drainage then cover wiv chicken wire. works fine on all my woodland bridges.

[Kat1e]

How big is the bridge? Length, width, and what are the bearers made of, wood or steel ?

 

As in original post, length approx 4m to 5m and width 2m. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean when you say bearers- can you put it in idiot speak for me please?

[Kat1e]

Lots of good advice here!!!!!!!!

 

Now you have sorted the slip risk, I think we need to address the REAL risk, that I cannot believe no one has yet mentioned!!! Have you checked for Trolls under this bridge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah.. one of my horses is permanently convinced there is a troll underneath so I've made him look! Not helped by the fact there was once a whole scout group plus leader in the stream under it (making a hell of a noise!) when I tried to cross it once- cue snorting and prancing from said nag!

[Kat1e]

I like the weldmesh and EML suggestions. Chicken wire breaks too easily and then the sharp edges become a hazard themselves.

 

We've used compounds mixed with sand in the past. Not sure about PVA - I don't think it's waterproof. A problem with an already slippery, 10 year old bridge is getting the surface clean enough for the compounds to stick to in a way that is going to last. I think weldmesh would be a lot simpler.

 

A PROW is not generally owned by, or even maintained by the Highways Authority. Unless it's adopted as a highway maintained at public expense it is down to the land owner. As for liability, if you've spotted the problem and don't do anything, you're in trouble. If you take reasonable, practical steps to minimise the risk, you're clear. You don't have to make everything safe - just do what is reasonable and practical to keep risk down.

 

I often find myself advising people to keep risk in perspective and suggesting that they may be over stating it. In this area though, perhaps not. A large landowner I'm particularly familiar with has had a number of accidents leading to claims in the past few years - quite a normal situation for a large land owner. Interestingly though, all of them have involved falls on slippery wooden surfaces. So this is a real risk that does need addressing.

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply, very useful info. Yes it is a very real risk as you say. One of my horses is unshod and finds the surface particularly bad, I now get off the horse to cross and she still slips. Another is shod and has special 'road nails' of tungsten carbide in the shoes, he rarely slips as a result. As it's a ROW it really needs to be safe for all, not just those equipped with spikes!

[Kat1e]

This is the bridge, afraid it's not a very useful pic but gives some idea what it's like.

[Kat1e]

score it wiv a saw to provide drainage then cover wiv chicken wire. works fine on all my woodland bridges.

 

Are your bridges used by horses as well- I was concerned about how long it would last under horse shoes? Thanks.

[Kat1e]

Another option is stable matting cut to fit. Basically very heavy suty rubber matting with nobbles on it. The council used it on a bridge near me and it is one of the best non slip applications I've seen. You can usually get 6 foot by 4 foot sheets for 20 to 40 pounds.

 

 

Mmm hadn't thought of that, thanks. I wonder whether buildup of slimy stuff might also be an issue with this surface like with the wood.

[cousin jack]

As in original post, length approx 4m to 5m and width 2m. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean when you say bearers- can you put it in idiot speak for me please?

Sorry, did'nt focus on the original post. I personally would not use any sort of wire where horses are involved, imagine the worst case scenario where the wire/weldmesh gets hooked under the back of the shoe and the horse panics trying to get it off. The bearers are the, (usually), two long supports that take the bridge from bank to bank, they will be underneath the foot boards that you walk on. If they are steel RSJ's then I would use a large gravel or scalping's. If not up to the weight, then get some half round or "D" rails and cut them just short of the width of the bridge and screw them in every foot, just like the rungs on a ladder. Drainage is an issue, does the bridge hold water after rain or does it run off, if there is a slight fall make sure you run your rails slightly with it, if the bridge is level think about drilling some small holes or scoring as mentioned in a previous post.

[Darren]

most wood fairly slippy with the amount of rain we had. I noticed this today on the woodland gate.

Your bridge doesn't look like rain water has anywhere to go. Maybe clearing the gaps in between the boards might help?