When considering boardwalk construction for trails, parks, or waterfronts, several material options are available. Traditional materials like timber, concrete, aluminum, and steel have their advantages, but they also come with limitations. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) boardwalks excel in some situations where other materials struggle. Offering a range of benefits, from lightweight construction to long-lasting durability, FRP is a great option for projects in harsh environments and difficult-to-access locations.
Ease of Transportation
If your project site lacks nearby road access, you’ll be faced with facilitating material transport from an unloading area to the project site. Concrete boardwalk beams and treads typically weigh several hundred pounds or more. Therefore, handing and installation with hydraulic equipment is usually the only feasible option. The heaviest component of our FRP boardwalks would weigh less than 200 pounds. In fact, an entire 10-ft wide by 12-ft long FRP boardwalk section could weigh less than just one concrete beam. FRP can significantly shorten construction timelines and reduce handling and transportation costs in remote or rugged locations. FRP boardwalk components can even be carried in by hand to locations where equipment cannot access.
Ease of assembly
Our FRP boardwalk components are fully prefabricated. All that is required on site is to bolt together the sections with the included hardware. Compared to a site-built timber boardwalk, our FRP boardwalks go together much faster, and eliminate the need to haul away offcuts. They also require very few tools, no on-site electricity, and no prior experience or specialized training to erect. Simple wrenches and a few humans are all that is required to maneuver the components into position and bolt them all together. Several volunteer trail groups have successfully assembled and installed Areté products for their local trails.
Durability, Longevity, Maintenance
So far, I’ve covered a few reasons why you might choose an FRP boardwalk from a construction perspective. However, there are good reasons to go with FRP from a long-term usability perspective as well. First, there’s the fact that FRP does not rot, rust, or corrode. This makes FRP an ideal material for boardwalks in wet and/or corrosive environments including wetlands and coastal saltwater locations. It can be in contact with the ground or water indefinitely with no negative effects. No other material can approach the durability of FRP in these environments.
Maintenance on an FRP structure is also easy to perform and limited in its requirements. There are of course maintenance items for an FRP boardwalk, as with any boardwalk. However, compared to a timber or metal structure, FRP requires less maintenance and is more forgiving of maintenance lapses. For locations where maintenance access is difficult, an FRP boardwalk will be the most resilient and reliable option for the long-term.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of an FRP boardwalk is its lifespan. The expected lifespan of the pultruded FRP we use in our structures is 75 to 100 years. Take a look at this link to some FRP that has been exposed to the harshest of environments for decades and is still performing excellently. Durability Study: Decades Later: Still Better than New Steel – Strongwell.
The primary environmental factor that can degrade FRP is UV exposure. In a boardwalk application, the structural members are all below the deck, meaning that they are automatically shielded from the sun. This is just to say that in reality, the true potential lifespan of a well maintained FRP boardwalk structure is as yet undetermined. These products can realistically be expected to serve their purpose for many generations.
Cost
Finaly, we come to the cost. Structural Pultruded FRP is expensive compared to traditional building materials. Because of that fact, the upfront cost of an FRP boardwalk kit may be a bit higher than some other options. However, as I mentioned before, depending on the location, the construction cost savings could more than make up the difference. Furthermore, once one starts to factor in the costs associated with the shorter service life of other materials, (maintenance costs, disposal costs, replacement design and construction costs) FRP becomes far less expensive in the long-term. The life-cycle cost of an infrastructure project like a boardwalk is a critically important consideration when deciding how to invest for the future. Take some time to play around with our life-cycle cost comparison tool: FRP – Arete Structures. It is a great way to visualize the long-term savings that can be realized by using FRP.
Conclusions
Though it may not be as familiar as concrete or wood, FRP has distinct advantages for certain locations and types of boardwalk projects. If you would like to know more about our boardwalks, don’t hesitate to send us an email or give us a call. We’re a small business, so someone will actually answer the phone. We’d love to help you with your project however we can!