Bridging the Gap

The bridge over Dinner Creek, which runs through the bottom of the west side of our Polecat Creek Farm, has developed gaps—holes and washouts—the last few years. Here's one hole that developed last spring.

I guess VDOT got tired of pouring gravel in the hole and decided to fix it. Because our land is beside the bridge, we had to give them an easement so they could replace the bridge. Here's the old metal pipe the creek flowed through. (The land to the left is our property.)

Looks like a landslide, doesn't it? Until recently, this happened every time it rained.

A rep from VDOT stopped by the house a few months ago and explained how they would fix the bridge. We signed the necessary papers so they could begin. For weeks, we heard nothing. One day, however, as we went down Blacksmith Road to check our property, we saw some big machinery.

Looks like VDOT was getting serious. 

They closed Blacksmith Road for a week. That's our point field (before the hay was cut) in the photo below.

And that's our woods to the right. The entrance to our horse and hiking trail is just beside the muddy section.

Before long, the rusted-out metal pipes were replaced by big plastic ones and the roadbed was built up considerably. Here's the view of our side: 

And here's the view across the road where Dinner Creek exits the pipe.

While they were putting in these pipes, they had to pump the water around the bridge. Eventually the pipes were set .  . .

. . . and the road-bed was replaced.

The pipes were cut back.

More gravel was added to the road, the drainage ditches were graded and seeded  . . .

                . . .  and the equipment moved out.

Dinner Creek trickled through the pipes.

But would the bridge wash out in the June 1 storms? Nope, it worked! Rushing water flows into the pipes on our side . . . 

. . . and out the pipes across the road.

Looks like the bridge is going to work.

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