Work has begun!

This week has been an exciting flurry of activity as work has begun to restore the historic Fieldale Iron Bridge, which is presently housed at Northpoint Trading in Fieldale.

On day one of work, Hall's Mechanical of Fieldale used a crane to lift the 30,000 pounds of metal off of the flatbed trailer where they had been stored. Use of the trailer has been supplied thanks to a generous donation from Craddock Logging Supply & Repair of Ridgeway.

Rain delayed us for just a few days, then the action started happening. Workers from Dishman Environmental of Danville began removing lead paint from the stucture. They are using an eco-friendly process that produces no dust.

As sections of the metal were cleaned, Reliable Welding of Bassett moved in to cut and weld the structure in order to achieve the symetrical shape that is desired.

When one side of the truss is fully prepared, Hall's Mechanical will come back to flip the truss so that work may proceed on the other side. This process of cleaning and welding will be continued throughout the rest of the structure until the project is completed. If the weather cooperates, we estimate to complete this portion of the job in 15-20 days.

Meanwhile at the future home of the trail, plans have been made to develop Phase III of the Fieldale Trail which will connect South River Road to Fieldale Park. A path going around the ballfield will take walkers and cyclists through the Fieldale Iron Bridge. A building permit has been obtained thanks to assistance from Henry County, Boxley Materials, and Rayford Smith. Plans for landscaping are being made with assistance from Prillaman Landscape Dimensions of Ridgeway. Below is the before and proposed after shots of this area.

Before

Proposed After (Note: Bridge is not drawn to scale)

As of today we have raised 84% of funds needed to complete this project! To help support the project you can purchase a plaque in honor of or memory of a loved one. Coorporate sponsorships are also available. The deadline to purchase a plaque is November 30th. Contact 276-634-2545 or jdoss@danriver.org for more information.