On November 26, the work on the bridge at Keen Acres Farm in Sissonville began. The family bridge had been destroyed in the 2016 flooding, and the family had been accessing their home via a ladder laid across the stream down the hill from their home. But hope for a new bridge came from the West Virginia VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) as a part of their bridge program.
After much planning and a portion of a generous grant from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program for all cost associated with the bridge, volunteers from the Mennonite Disaster Service began work. They removed the remains of the previous bridge, dug back into the bank and prepared and placed gabions to stabilize the banks of the stream. Then they paused for bad weather.
When they returned to work, they built forms for the footings and drove the steel posts into the bedrock. They filled the forms with concrete and, after it dried, placed the steel girders for the bridge. Then, within two days, the whole bridge was finished – a bit muddy, but finished! Watch the videos of the progress on our Facebook page or watch the next newsletter for a link to a new video.
Many thanks to the volunteers from Mennonite Disaster Services and to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for the financial backing. Together, we built bridge number 62 for the Bridge Project!
