Snake’s Bridge

Aquascience were first tasked with the design of ‘Snake’s Bridge’ in Autumn 2019. In what had first been seen as fun design quirks on the original bridge, the twisting shape and a deck that sloped down into the middle had become impractical and made the bridge tricky to cross in the winter. The Forestry Commission asked for multiple design options from Aquascience and, on provision of these, selected an all-timber 14m bridge with a 3m usable deck width.

Aquascience began construction in February 2020, during an off-peak spell for Alice Holt Country Park. The nature trail was rerouted and the old bridge removed. Using their own hydraulic machine attachment driving head to drive 150mm square green oak posts to form piles and support the main bridge beams.

Using a 10m telehandler to lift the green oak cross heads, main beams and other heavy structural elements into place, the framework of the bridge was attached to the piles. Extra bracing and noggins were added to prevent twisting and warping and keep the bridge deck level. The bridge was furnished with anti-slip Gripdeck deck boards, providing a safe surface in bad weather, and air-dried oak handrails. All the elements were routed and sanded to provide the best, and smoothest to the touch, finish.

The finished bridge now acts as a featured structure on the Alice Holt Country Park Nature Trail, completing the route again. The bridge was designed to a 5kN loading capacity due to the size of the deck and the heavy foot traffic the nature trail takes.