The Brown Bridge Quiet Area is approximately 1,300 acres of City of Traverse City-owned land located 11 miles southeast of Traverse City. The natural area and its hiking trails along the banks of the Boardman River was formerly the Brown Bridge Pond. The Brown Bridge Pond was formed by the Brown Bridge Dam that was constructed in 1922. In 2012, the dam was removed and the Boardman River returned to its original channel. GFA worked with the Grand Traverse Conservation District to design a pedestrian river crossing to connect the parking area on the south side of the Boardman River off Brown Bridge Road to the hiking trail system on the north side of the river. The solution was a 90 foot long pre-engineered pedestrian bridge that spanned the flowing river where the Brown Bridge Dam used to be. The project included new wood bridge approaches to protect the existing river banks, concrete abutments with a rustic finish, drainage improvements, riprap and ADA compliant trail to access the bridge. GFA provided full consulting services for this project including surveying, engineering design, construction contract administration and material testing. GFA team members volunteered with the Grand Traverse Conservation District to assist in installing the bridge with Team Elmer's in 2019.
