Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Rammy]

And its cheaper probably....

 

[greybeard]

Okay @greybeard this is where your expertise ( or your experience) is needed.

You haven't seen about 30' of my own main driveway have ya....? (waiting for the world to dry up enough for me to get a few tons of limestone brought in..the road won't handle a loaded dump truck right now.)

Then I would lay 2 2"x6"x8' bolted together lengthwise. I would have either 3 or 4 of these beams going lengthwise in parallel, and would join the beams together long enough to make 32' total. Then I would lay 2x4x8ft widthwise the length of the bridge. I would use pressure-treated wood for all of this. I have yet to estimate the cost, but I imagine it will be $300+.

Forget applying rock in that area without doing some serious drainage work first, or at least using geotextile fabric and plenty of it.
Putting rock alone, down on that mud will be an annual event for the rest of your life. It will just be pushed right on down. Use the gt fabric!
Cost of your bridge will be over $300 for sure...about $400 just in the cross planking on top of the 2x6 longitudinal beams.
#2 PT 2x4x8 at lowes =$4.37 ea.
30' X 12"=360".
A 2x4 covers approx 3.5".
360" ÷ 3.5=102 2x4s just for the planking you will drive on. $445.74 plus tax.
That can and should be reduced by spacing out each 2x4 about 3/4-1" between each board.
Be careful which PT lumber you buy..it is not all created equal.
The problem is, most #2 PT is not rated for ground contact or for installations where it will be driven on and mud and dirt will end up caked on it. It's known as "above ground pressure treated" and won't last but 3-4 years exposed to weather when laid down flat. (They will last a lot longer if this were an application where they were stood up vertically but that isn't the case)
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Wea...-3-5-in-x-8-ft-2-Prime-Treated-Lumber/4756851

• 
  
  
  • #2 prime southern yellow pine with virtually no wane
  • Severe Weather Above Ground pressure treated exterior wood protected by Ecolife (EL2); a stabilizing formula that repels water keeps boards straighter and looking better longer
  • Ecolife (EL2) provides built-in water repellency that lasts for up to 3 years and reduces surface cracking and checking by up to 50% compared to ordinary treated wood

You don't want to be replacing boards and rebuilding this every 3 years.

What you want to use, is ground contact rated PT lumber for this whole project. It's going to be colored green. Plan on about $1 extra for each 2x4.
Something like this:
https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...re-treated-lumber/1110818/p-1444422742084.htm

This lumber has been pressure treated for ground contact (GC) applications and can be completely buried in the ground. It's also suitable for fresh water use and can be submerged. AC2® brand treated wood products use MicroPro™ technology, which is a revolutionary way to pressure treat wood for decks, fences, landscaping, and general construction uses. MicroPro™ technology offers many benefits including significantly improved corrosion performance. MicroPro™/AC2® technology is the first treated wood process to be certified under the Scientific Certification Systems Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) Program based on life cycle assessment. Many MicroPro™/AC2® treated wood products are also available in a popular CedarTone color similar to cedar products with the new MicroShades™ color pigment system (check the MicroShades CedarTone category for prices and availability). MicroPro™/AC2® pressure treated wood products are protected from termites and fungal decay and are backed by an Osmose Residential and Agricultural Limited Warranty Program (see warranty for details).

• 
  
  
  • #2 & better pine
  • Lighter, more natural wood appearance for improved staining qualities
  • Environmentally friendly- safe for use around pets, playsets, and vegetable gardens
  • Kiln dried and heat treated prior to pressure treatment
  • Triple-coated, hot-dipped galvanized, or stainless steel fasteners are recommended
  • MicroPro™/AC2® treated wood is NAHB Research Center green approved
  • MicroPro™ lifetime limited warranty
  • Ground Contact level treatment (.15pcf) has more than double the preservative of Above Ground level treated wood (.07pcf)

As far as your plan..
You might want to consider putting in a french drain, to keep that area a little drier. It depends whether or not you have a natural right-to-left slope to the area or not.
Also, put the pencil to your bridge project, and instead of a bridge, contrast the cost and labor against putting down geotextile fabric and then aggregate (rock) on top of the fabric. The area you are in, crushed limestone may be a LOT cheaper than it is here. No matter what, I would put down the fabric....It helps support whatever you build on top of soggy ground.

Another option... Instead of using 2x6s, IF you have a source for surplus full length utility poles, they will last a LOT longer than treated 2x6s.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Special thanks to Mr. @greybeard. I feared that doing nothing to the ground to prevent water seepage would cause a number of problems and you confirmed my fears. I will look into the geotextile and ground contact lumber. I will post the results as we solidify our plans.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

While these pictures won't impress you folks in the upper Midwest and the Northeast, maybe it will impress our friends in the lower states. We got around 2" of snow here in Boonesville, AR, which is the average amount we get a year. Here is a picture of our pond from the front porch:


My wife's next older sister Treasa and her husband James came for a visit. James love to make carpentry-type things. Every time they come to visit he asks what we need built. When he asked on this visit, my Beautiful Gal asked him to built her a bench to put outdoors in the picnic area we plan to make south of our house out in the woods. So he and I did just that:


Senile Texas Aggie

 

[greybeard]

the bench looks long enough and wide enough to lay down on and take a nap too....or whatever else one or two ppl wants do in the woods...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It's a really nice bench!

 

[Rammy]

Nice job!

 

[Latestarter]

The bench looks great! Good work. Sure is nice to have a heated work space. Especially when doing the wood working after a snoiw storm with the grounds all white. Nice scenic view from the front porch.

 

[RollingAcres]

Nice bench!

 

[farmerjan]

Beautiful view and nice bench and wonderful to have a BIL that likes to build things...... You lucked out in the extended family department!!!!!