When it comes to public trails, parks or greenway projects, it’s important that the community is engaged and excited about the work you are doing. The best way to do this is to reach out and get them involved whenever possible.
While securing grant funding is often a key step in turning a public project vision into reality, the process for earning a grant can be complicated.
Topics: Concrete Boardwalk Questions
One question we hear often from engineers and architects is, “If the lifecycle of timber is so much shorter compared to PermaTrak, why is it one of your recommended foundations?”
DOT Approval with PermaTrak Concrete Boardwalk System
During conversations with designers working on trail projects, pedestrian bridges or commercial boardwalks, often the question comes up about whether PermaTrak can be approved for use by the state's Department of Transportation (DOT).
With a background in precast concrete bridges used for publicly funded projects, our PermaTrak team is familiar with the arrangements different states have related to approved product listings (APL) or similar.
There are a few important things to know about PermaTrak's concrete boardwalk system and individual state DOT product approvals. I'll do my best to explain these points below.
Topics: Concrete Boardwalk Questions
Are you running a cost estimate for a boardwalk or pedestrian bridge project?
If so, keep in mind that the final construction cost will be based on more than the decking material. To get a sense for the "all in" price of your structure, pay attention to the following variables:
- foundation type (piers, timber piles, concrete caissons, etc)
- railing system (wood, aluminum, steel)
- installing contractor's equipment, and labor (time) costs
Commercial Boardwalk Design: ADA Compliance
At PermaTrak, we frequently receive questions concerning boardwalk compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As a boardwalk designer, I consult the ADA guidelines for horizontal gaps, vertical changes, boardwalk slopes, ramps, railing requirements, etc. on a daily basis. First for some ADA background information -
Specific Requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act
In 1991 the Department of Justice adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. These standards required newly constructed and renovated places of public accommodation and commercial use to be designed in ways that prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability. In 2010, the ADA received revised standards concerning accessibility.2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
I thought it would be helpful to summarize the 2010 ADA revised standards related to horizontal gaps, vertical changes, walking surface slopes, railing requirements, etc. for those of us designing ADA compliant boardwalks, pedestrian bridges, and other structures for multi use trails.
I'd also like to post my answers to several common questions specific to PermaTrak and ADA compliance. As a new boardwalk system, these may be the first questions a designer new to PermaTrak may ask us:
- Is the entire PermaTrak system ADA compliant?
- Can PermaTrak's boardwalk system be used on applications where a slope is needed? If so, does it meet ADA requirements?
- What is the max slope you can achieve with a PermaTrak boardwalk?
The timber vs. concrete boardwalk debate has picked up over the last couple of years with large, public beach boardwalks like Long Beach and Rockaways, NY drawing a lot of attention. For a time, wooden boardwalks were most widely used, becoming beloved and iconic in places like Coney Island. After Hurricane Sandy, the term “concrete boardwalk” started becoming more popular as owners and designers discussed boardwalk reconstruction efforts in city council meetings and local news channels. Some joined Mayor Bloomberg by citing concrete’s durability and lack of required maintenance, while wood boardwalk advocates expressed their concerns that the famous wood structures would become “concrete beach sidewalks” that would chip and crack like they saw in streets and parking lots. Why would a “concrete boardwalk” be any different?
Choosing the proper boardwalk material to suit your project’s design requirements is key to providing a long-term infrastructure asset and ensuring a happy client. In this article we will point out several key factors to consider when evaluating commercial grade boardwalk materials.
Designers and owners who research boardwalk materials and boardwalk construction methods will find that PermaTrak is a fairly new product, and the precast concrete components are significantly heavier than wood or composite boardwalk materials. Does this mean installing contractors must be recommended by PermaTrak or “pre-certified” to install the boardwalk system? Absolutely not!
Topics: Boardwalk Construction, Concrete Boardwalk Questions
