DORBA

Erwin Park - Caleb Britton BSA Troop 909 (In-Progress)

Target Completion Date: Mid to Late May 2026

Project Title: Mountain Bike Trail Bridge Replacement

Project Overview

This Eagle Scout Service Project, led by Caleb Britton of BSA Troop 909 (Celina Area), focuses on a major structural modernization to eliminate a hazardous bottleneck on the singletrack network. The project targets the removal of a severely compromised 26-foot wooden trail bridge. The existing structure has completely rotted out, its support posts have disintegrated, and it was improperly bolted directly into a living tree—causing biological damage to the tree and introducing a critical structural point of failure.

To restore connectivity, Caleb has engineered a modern 32-foot elevated, boardwalk-style freestanding replacement bridge. The new structure will feature standalone concrete pier block foundations to fully isolate it from the surrounding woods, a bank angle built into the decking to mirror the trail's natural curve, and a customized diamond-cut tread pattern on the deck slats to maximize wet-weather tire traction. This upgraded crossing safely spans an area of heavily exposed tree roots and severely uneven terrain that is currently unrideable without a dedicated, raised technical feature.

Execution & Community Partnership

The field execution phase is scheduled to launch over a multi-day build window. Caleb is establishing and leading a collaborative volunteer force of 7 to 10 individuals recruited from Troop 909 youth, family members, local friends, and community trail builders from the local trail association's volunteer database.

The field workflow splits into distinct operational stages:

Deconstruction & Remediation: Commencing full demolition of the legacy footprint, carefully extracting the old embedded hardware from the living tree, and sorting the rotted pressure-treated timber for proper off-site disposal.

Sub-Base Grading: Deploying string lines to set correct elevations, excavating for concrete pier placement, and packing a heavy gravel sub-layer to optimize drainage beneath the ramps.

Timber Framing & Decking: Setting 14 freestanding post foundations, mounting massive 32-foot structural stringer rails, installing diagonal cross-bracing, and fastening 102 individual diamond-cut tread slats flush with structural deck screws.

To optimize tracking, materials will be staged at the nearest vehicle-accessible trailhead loop and hand-carried or wheelbarrowed out to the remote wilderness build site.

Service Impact & Resource Valuation

Once completed, this newly upgraded infrastructure asset will eliminate a severe multi-use safety liability, keeping a highly utilized section of the trail open to hundreds of mountain bikers and hikers per week. By executing this project to modern professional trail-building standards, Caleb's structure protects the native tree root systems from direct tire impact and eliminates ongoing municipal repair demands. The current financial framework and resource tracking coordinates are detailed below:

Total Volunteer Force: TBD (Actively recruiting 7–10 volunteers from Troop 909 and trail build crews)

Total Labor Investment: TBD Service Hours (Includes site mapping, structural fabrication, and final line grading)

Direct Financial Contributions / Materials: $625.00 – $900.00 (Sourced via hardware store material grants, regional lumber yard discounts, and local donations)

Volunteer Labor Value ($33.00/hr): TBD (Calculated automatically upon final project verification)

Total Project Valuation: TBD (Combined balance of fair market material costs and logged volunteer hours)

Conclusion

The Erwin Park Mountain Bike Trail Bridge Replacement delivers an unyielding, environmentally sustainable solution to a vulnerable section of the singletrack loop. By replacing an unsafe, tree-supported structure with a widened, freestanding, slip-resistant elevated boardwalk, Caleb’s project directly advances the park's multi-use durability, ensuring long-term recreation access and safety for all Collin County trail users.