With our proven proficiency in fish passage solutions, Big R Bridge was a natural fit to design and build a the replacement for an undersized concrete box culvert and fish ladder on Beaver Creek in Troutdale, Oregon. The existing culvert structure was harming fish. Debris would create blockages and accelerated high-water flows would fling the fish against the concrete fish ladder structure.
The new 40' span Buried Arch Bridge has restored the natural creek bed, opened miles of stream habitat and, according to the locals, is getting along ‘just swimmingly’ with the migrating Chinook and Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout in search of their natural spawning areas.
At 150' in length, the new crossing is ready for a future road widening project. The buried structure was built with a headwall at one end only. When the road-widening project goes ahead, the other headwall can be added to accommodate the four-lane roadway with sidewalks and bike lanes. The overlay diagram above shows the size relationship between the old and new fish pages and the potential for road widening.
Strong, durable, versatile and environmentally-responsible
Progressive owners rely on Big R’s Buried Bridge solutions for their crossing and aquatic organism passage requirements. They install quickly in urban or remote sites, with no need for specialized bridge construction companies. Environmentally friendly, their wide-span designs offer excellent open-flow hydraulics and fish passage properties with minimal impact on the stream bed. Galvanized steel structures have also been proven to be a greener solution than concrete structures.
Ask your Big R Bridge Representative about the latest innovations in environmental crossings and retaining walls.