The project to upgrade Wilderness Parkway and raise the roof of the iconic Covered Bridge has progressed to the point where traffic can now drive Big Canoe’s busiest road. As a result, Wilderness Parkway is open – nearly two weeks ahead of schedule.
In the coming weeks, crews will finalize the roadway portion of the project by
installing reflectors to the asphalt
painting lines
installing a guardrail – the vertical yellow cylinders along the edge of the road mark its future location.
The other major piece of the project was the raising of the Covered Bridge roof by two additional feet from its original 11-foot 6-inch height. The new, pressure-treated lumber used in the project will be painted late this spring after the wood cures.
The work on the road addressed the cracking asphalt on Wilderness that led to the street sinking. To fortify Wilderness Parkway, crews installed a geosynthetically reinforced wall system that established a new roadway foundation and a more stable, erosion-resistant facing for the embankment.
The maintenance of the bridge was in response to its roof being hit repeatedly by large vehicles. All trucks except for those traveling to the Blackwell Creek neighborhood are still required to enter only through the North Gate.
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