Loysburg, PA – A triad of veteran companies skilled in the design, manufacturing and fabrication of fiberglass bridge structures recently supplied an 85’ long, 4’ wide pedestrian bridge to the Mid State Trail Association. The FRP bridge replaced a wooden swinging bridge that had been removed from service due to severe deterioration. The new fiberglass bridge spans Yellow Creek near Loysburg, PA, linking the trail. The Mid State Trail Association wanted a lightweight structure that would stand the test of time while requiring very little maintenance.
The bridge was designed by E.T. Techtonics, Inc. (ETT). A Philadelphia based company established in 1987, ETT is recognized as the leader in the design and sales of fiberglass bridges around the world. The bridge components, consisting of pultruded fiberglass profiles, were manufactured by Creative Pultrusions, Inc (CPI). Located in Alum Bank, PA, CPI is the global leader in the design and manufacturing of lightweight fiberglass structural profiles. The bridge was fabricated by Structural Fiberglass, Inc. (SFI), established in 1993 and located in Bedford, PA. SFI prefabricated the lightweight 85’ long fiberglass structure in their facility and delivered the bridge to the job site in three sections. The bridge sections were joined together and hoisted into position in a matter of hours on Friday, December 13, 2013.
Pultruded fiberglass reinforced structural profiles, like the ones used in the bridge structure, are presently offsetting traditional materials of construction and fast becoming the material of choice for engineered structures where lightweight, corrosion resistance, and low maintenance attributes are sought. The engineering community has accepted pultrusions as a reliable structural material of construction. The American Composite Manufactures Association (ACMA), the Pultrusion Industry Council (PIC), and the American Society of Engineers (ASCE) will be forthcoming in early 2014 with the first official civil engineering community endorsed design standard for pultruded profiles. This standard will put pultruded profiles in the same arena as steel, concrete, timber and aluminum as world recognized materials of construction.
The Mid State Trail (MST) is the longest hiking trail in Pennsylvania, crossing the waist of the Keystone State from the Maryland border to the New York State border. MST connects to other trails, providing hikers an extended exposure to nature and rural culture following connected footpaths from Alabama to New York. Mid State Trail Association (Huntingdon, PA) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that cares for the Trail, in cooperation with Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry; Pennsylvania Game Commission and many other private and public landowners. See the official website for more information: http://www.hike-mst.org.
Funding assistance for Yellow Creek Bridge has been provided by the Pennsylvania Recreational Trails Program, Federal Highway Administration; and the DCNR Bureau of Recreation and Conservation matched by private donations. Ventura Construction (Duncansville, PA) served as general contractor.
Established in 1973, Creative Pultrusions is located in Alum Bank, Pennsylvania, and is a subsidiary of Hill & Smith Holdings PLC, an international group with leading positions in the design, manufacture and supply of infrastructure products and galvanizing services to global markets. It serves its customers from facilities principally in the UK, France, USA, Thailand, Sweden, Norway, India and Australia. Headquartered in the UK and quoted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: HILS.L), Hill & Smith Holdings PLC employs some 3,800 staff across 55 sites, principally in 8 countries.