Work has started on constructing a viaduct for the HS2 railway line at Edgcote in Northamptonshire where, to reduce its carbon footprint and simplify construction, every major part will be manufactured off-site.

The 515-metre-long Edgcote Viaduct will carry HS2 across the floodplain of the River Cherwell south of Chipping Warden.

Its design copies the approach used for the Thame Valley Viaduct where a lighter-weight design reduced the amount of concrete and steel in the viaduct.

The piers, beams, deck planks, and parapet were all manufactured at a facility in Kent.

Twenty pairs of pre-cast concrete piers support the viaduct, which is between six and eight metres high. The piers are lifted into position and their steel reinforcing rods slotted into pre-prepared sleeves and the pile caps sealed with grout.

The viaduct has been designed to appear as a light and narrow structure, which from a distance will be masked by existing hedgerows and woodland.

The EKFB consortium comprising Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction, and BAM Nuttall is responsible for the design and construction, in association with design partner TYPSA, Construction Partner FC Civils Solutions, and architects Moxon.

Significant progress is also being made on other HS2 viaducts, including Highfurlong Brook in Northamptonshire and the longest railway bridge in the UK at the Colne Valley Viaduct.

“It’s great to see the first piers in place for Edgcote viaduct after our structural redesign. The success of the Thame Valley viaduct design shows that a two-beam approach can bring significant benefits for viaducts of this length – speeding up construction, boosting efficiency and improving safety on site by reducing the amount of working at height.”

Suhel Uddin, HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager