High Speed 2 Ltd has announced work is now underway to install the ground supports for High Speed 2’s (HS2) new viaduct.
One of the biggest infrastructure challenges and projects in Phase 1 of HS2, a lot of planning and tests have been carried out to reach this stage in the construction of the Colne Valley Viaduct, North West of London.
Consulting with a variety of specialist organisations, such as the Environment Agency and architects Grimshaw, HS2 Ltd have a detailed design for the new viaduct, taking into consideration impacts on the environment.
To carry the railway 3.4km, 56 piers will be built with an overall bridge height of 10 meters.
To calculate how many and the depth of the piles to support these piers, tests were carried out by sinking 12 piles across two areas. Following these tests, 292 piles will be driven 55m into the ground to support the piers, with this work to completed over the next year by three large contractors made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick.
To create the piles, holes will be bored out, followed by backfilling with concrete. The over 1,000 sections will be produced at a nearby site, specifically set up for building the Colne Valley Viaduct.
HS2 Ltd’s Central 1 Project Client Rohan Perin said: “The Colne Valley Viaduct will be one of HS2’s most iconic structures and it’s great to see work now starting in earnest. I’d like to thank the whole team for the huge amount of work they’ve done to get us to this point.”
Align’s Project Director Daniel Altier said: “I have no doubt that the viaduct will become one, if not the most striking element of HS2 phase 1 once complete. The way it will be constructed is going to be equally fascinating for engineers young and old. The sections for the deck will be fabricated at our main construction site to the west of London just inside the M25, and using a huge launching girder, the deck will be formed from north to south, along the line of the route, thereby keeping unnecessary construction traffic off the roads.
I am delighted that today we have reached this important milestone in the viaduct’s construction.”
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But there is has been criticism from protesters who don’t want HS2 to be built. Which is why they will continue to protest until HS2 is completed.
People in many parts of England are desperate to have their Beeching cut railways reinstated. How may lines could be reopened and tram systems built to free our cities from pollution and congestion and still get change out of the unbridled cost of HS2?