Harborwalk Boardwalk in Charlotte County, FL
Imagine a tree falls on your boardwalk during a storm. With traditional construction, you're looking at weeks of downtime, saw cutting, and complete reconstruction. But what if there was a better way?
What if you could simply remove the damaged pieces and drop in new ones? That's exactly what modular, removable boardwalk sections make possible. Instead of one continuous structure, you build it like building blocks. Each component can be individually removed and replaced without affecting the rest of the system.
Whether you're dealing with storm damage, planning for utility access, or just want maintainable infrastructure, removable sections are much more efficient than the alternative.
The Challenges of Repairing a Traditional Boardwalk
Here's what happens when you need to repair a traditional boardwalk. Contractors typically just "rip out" entire spans because it's easier than trying to salvage anything.
The material waste increases. Timber boards rip and break during disassembly, so most of what you paid for the first time ends up in a dumpster. You're essentially starting from scratch with all new materials, and a complete reconstruction project.
And through all of this, your boardwalk is completely out of commission. We're talking weeks or months of closure, which means lost visitors, frustrated users, and explaining to your board or council why a simple repair turned into a major capital project.
This is the reality with timber construction. What looks "permanent" on the surface becomes a nightmare when something actually needs fixing.
Top: Timber boardwalk severely damaged by Hurricane Milton
Bottom: PermaTrak’s Osprey Harbor boardwalk, located just 1,000 ft from the damaged site, remains unaffected.
Building with "Adult Legos": PermaTrak's Modular Design
Now picture a different scenario. A tree falls and damages three sections of your boardwalk. Instead of calling in demolition crews, you simply identify which specific pieces need replacement. No saw cutting. No ripping out entire spans. You remove only what's actually damaged.
The PermaTrak system works more like building blocks. Each tread, each beam, each component is designed to come apart and go back together without damaging the surrounding structure. One contractor told us it's "like using adult Legos" and honestly, that's not a bad comparison.
Because we design every project with shop drawings that specify each individual piece, we already know exactly what you need for replacement. The components that aren't damaged stay in place and continue doing their job. The broken pieces get swapped out with new ones. Our team of professional engineers stand ready to help you access the structural integrity of any damages caused by mother nature.
The turnaround time speaks for itself. What used to be a months-long reconstruction project becomes a straightforward replacement job. You're looking at days or weeks instead of months, and your boardwalk is only closed for the absolute minimum time necessary.
Case Studies
A. Walterboro Project: Hurricane Helene
When Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast, our Walterboro boardwalk took a hit. Two treads and three curbs were damaged when debris came through. Here's what happened next.
Because we had the original shop drawings on file, there was no redesign work needed. We knew exactly which pieces to manufacture as replacements. Within a couple of weeks, we had new components delivered and installed. The boardwalk was back in service.
Compare that to what would have happened with traditional construction. The entire damaged section would have needed demolition. New engineering. New permits. Complete reconstruction. We're talking months of closure and exponentially higher costs.
Damaged timber boardwalk at Walterboro, taken before PermaTrak was installed.
Before and after tree damage from Hurricane Helene on our Walterboro project in South Carolina.
B. Razorback Trail: Tree Damage
A fallen tree damaged several sections of the Razorback Trail boardwalk. Again, we identified the specific damaged pieces, manufactured exact replacements, and had the trail reopened quickly. Trail users experienced minimal disruption because we could work around the undamaged sections.
We treated these as component replacements, not reconstruction projects.
Before and after repairs to our Razorback Trail project in Bentonville, AR.
Utility Access & Routine Maintenance
The real value of modular design shows up in routine maintenance. When you're planning a boardwalk, you know that utilities run underneath. Sewer lines. Power lines. Water lines. Sooner or later, something will need servicing.
With traditional construction, accessing those utilities means major demolition. You're breaking out concrete, cutting through steel, and essentially destroying part of your boardwalk to get to what's underneath. Then you rebuild everything from scratch.
With modular design, you simply remove the specific treads and beams above the work area. The utility crew does their job. You reinstall the same components when they're done. No demolition. No reconstruction. No replacement costs for materials that weren't even damaged.
We regularly work with clients who know they'll need periodic access to infrastructure below their boardwalks. We design those access points right into the system from day one. When the time comes for maintenance, it's a scheduled operation, not an emergency reconstruction project.
The modularity also means you can plan routine replacements as preventive maintenance rather than waiting for something to fail catastrophically.
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Lower McAlpine Creek Greenway in Charlotte, NC.
Common Misconceptions About Modular Design
We occasionally run into some misconceptions about modular design. We get questions like “Isn’t it less durable?” and “Won’t this create more work for our maintenance department?”
The short answer is no. Engineering standards don't change just because components are removable. Every PermaTrak system meets the same structural requirements as any other boardwalk. The difference is that our system is designed for disassembly from the beginning, using proper connections and fastening systems rather than hoping nothing ever needs fixing.
If anything, modular design provides more reliability because you're not dependent on the weakest link in a continuous structure. When one part of a traditional boardwalk fails, it can compromise the entire section. With modular construction, component failures stay localized.
Conclusion: Why a Modular System Makes Sense
In real-world conditions, infrastructure is subjected to wear, utility conflicts, and evolving site demands. Whether due to weather events, changing land use, or unexpected maintenance needs, access and adaptability are critical over a boardwalk’s lifespan.
A modular precast system addresses these challenges through planned segmental construction. Modular systems enable selective removal and replacement of individual treads or spans without disturbing adjacent components or the substructure, reducing labor intensity, limiting downtime, and avoiding costly demolition.
At PermaTrak, every boardwalk we design incorporates this modular philosophy from the outset. With over 650 successful installations, we've seen firsthand how this approach turns reactive maintenance into predictable, low-impact operations.
From an asset management perspective, modularity functions as a risk mitigation strategy.
Think of modular design as an insurance policy for your boardwalk investment; you hope you never need it, but when you do, you'll be glad it's there. This is how designers can engineer long-term resilience and serviceability into the structure from day one.
