HS2 Limited has begun construction in Buckinghamshire on the Colne Valley Viaduct, set to be the UK’s longest bridge.
Once complete, the viaduct will stretch 2.1 miles (3.4km) in length across a series of lakes and waterways, making it almost a kilometre longer than the Forth Bridge over the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
Colne Valley Regional Park contains more than 60 lakes and approximately 200 miles of river and canal, stretching from Uxbridge in the east to Chalfont in the west.
Initial work on the railway bridge began further down the line in early 2021, with ground engineers sinking the first of almost 300 piles that will form the foundations for the viaduct.
Now, a 700-tonne bridge-building machine has been launched to lift the giant concrete deck segments that form the viaduct’s arches into position. Once each section is complete, the machine will inch itself forward to build the next stage.
The design of the Colne Valley Viaduct was inspired by the flight of a stone skipping across the water and is set low into the landscape to minimise the viaduct’s footprint on the lakes and help complement views across the natural surroundings.
Earlier in the year, HS2 protesters expressed concern that drilling in Colne Valley could affect the public water supply for the region.
On their website, HS2 state: “Over the last six years, HS2 has worked closely with Affinity Water and the Environment Agency to monitor water quality and agree working methods. These will be monitored by a team of specialist engineers during construction in order to protect the natural environment.”
[PICTURE: Design of the Colne Valley Viaduct (by HS2 Ltd)]
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