Videos: Commercial Boardwalk Cost and Design Information 

Campbell Creek Greenway is the most recent addition to the McAlpine Greenway network in Charlotte, NC, adding 1.5 miles to the existing trail. Six concrete boardwalk structures were installed throughout the path, crossing utility lines and streams. Designers McKim & Creed and Alta Planning + Design wanted a long-term, cost-effective solution that would have minimal disturbance to the area.

Flooding Concerns Drive PermaTrak Boardwalk Selection

Built on a low-lying area that was previously used for rice farming, flooding was a main concern for designer Clark Condon Associates at the Bridgeland development in Cypress, TX. Designers were concerned about the rotting and warping that moisture causes on timber boardwalks, so they looked for alternative materials and ultimately selected PermaTrak’s maintenance-free concrete boardwalk system.

As part of the current renovation at Tampa's Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, PermaTrak has come alongside the city's designers, engineers and developers to design and produce an elevated concrete walkway, which park-goers can use to enjoy the new sites and amenities. Using a PermaTrak precast concrete base component, the 583-foot boardwalk minimizes tree root disturbance while providing a maintenance-free solution for the City.

Check out the 2-minute installation video! 

PermaTrak Boardwalks Over Wetlands at Upper Tampa Bay Trail, Florida

Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater residents have been enjoying the Florida winter even more so this year with the Phase IV additions to the Upper Tampa Bay Trail in Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department continues to add to the one-of-a-kind trail through Booker Creek Preserve in Hillsborough County, which now stretches over 12 miles across two sections.

If you have been under contract for design services on a publicly funded project, you know that sole sourcing hardscape products is almost always disallowed. So when your project involves federal, county or local funding, how can you play within the rules to avoid sole sourcing, and still get the product you're looking for?

Landscape architects and engineers are faced with this challenge every day on their trail, greenway and park projects. How do we go from design to bid to construction- and at the end of the day end up with a boardwalk that meets the needs of the owner and your design team? A good set of plans and specifications are key to achieving this goal. This issue applies whether the product is a boardwalk or pedestrian bridge material such as PermaTrak, or a water fountain, lighting, trail signage, or playground equipment. 

In the video below, Jason Philbin, P.E. answers this question as it relates to PermaTrak's maintenance-free concrete boardwalk system. If you have decided the PermaTrak boardwalk system is right for your project, watch this video to learn how you can avoid sole sourcing, yet still get what you want in the final product. 

Engineers and designers often ask what they need to provide for us to begin design documents for their PermaTrak pedestrian bridge or boardwalk system.

I'm Jason Philbin, P.E. and PermaTrak President, and in the video below I talk about what project details our engineering team would need to get started. Click to watch below and send us a note in the footer of this page if you have any questions. 

If you are designing a commercial boardwalk system, you'll need to first determine the code-required live loading. Design codes will provide guidance on pedestrian and vehicular loading.

Most times for our concrete boardwalk system, our engineering team designs per the AASHTO LRFD Guide Specifications for Design of Pedestrian Bridges. Per this guide, the pedestrian loading is 90 pounds per square foot (psf), while vehicular loading can be a small vehicle up to a H-10 truck (20,000 lb. vehicle). 

Designers often ask if PermaTrak can be used for an elevated boardwalk, observation deck, or fishing pier above the water. You may be thinking since a concrete boardwalk is heavier than timber or composite decking, you would be prohibited from elevating a PermaTrak boardwalk. President Jason Philbin, P.E. answers this commonly asked question and discusses design criteria for elevated boardwalks in the video below.