Building Magical Bridges for Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill’s 120 feet of ramps and bridges create a smooth, fun, and accessible pathway from the parking lot to the top of the slides and then on to upper level of the playhouse. To accommodate the many kids, adults, and wheelchairs that will pass over these bridges daily, we included a steel core in the bridge’s construction. To maintain the charming appeal of the bridge, we completely covered the steel with wood.
The first step is to construct the steel frame to support the wooden decking. Here, Sean welds the joints of the steel frame.
Here, Colin and Henry take on the second task, which is to grind the steel. Getting each part exactly right is crucial for a structure of this size, and luckily, hand-crafted details are our specialty.
Next, it is time to add the redwood 2x8 joists. We bolt the steel & redwood lumber together every 12” to make a flitch beam, which is essentially an extra-strong component that combines the strength of both the wood & steel and is perfect for fabricating a bridge with such a long span.
Once constructed, the redwood portions of the bridge are stained with our signature tung-oil hues and set on the outdoor deck to dry.
Finally, we add the smooth wooden decking that kids will move across and add rail posts for a safe and inviting way for every body to come enjoy Morgan Hill’s Magical Bridge.
Coming soon – craning the bridges into place!