The viaduct has had its finishing touches put in place, ready to carry trains across the floodplain
The HS2 Westbury Viaduct, near Brackley, will carry HS2 trains across the River Great Ouse floodplain.
The viaduct spans 320 metres and was built using a ‘double composite’ approach to increase sustainability.
Inspired by the French
The double composite approach was used on the French TGV network and used lower-carbon concrete and steel, with a layer of reinforced concrete above and below a steel beam to create a box beam.
The steel beams weigh 2,695 tonnes and were assembled on the north abutment before being slid into place between March and October 2024. Special pads with a non-stick coating were placed between the deck and temporary steel bearings on the concrete piers to minimise friction during the slide.
After the slide, a travelling formwork was used to cast the concrete deck in 42-metre-long sections, with the formwork being pulled forward after each section, allowing the next one to be cast.
HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager, Paul Cooper said: “It’s been amazing to watch Westbury viaduct come together over the last few years and I’d like to thank everyone involved in getting this incredible structure over the finishing line.
“This section of the railway is now really starting to come together, and with the viaduct complete, our focus will turn to completing the earthworks and other nearby structures.”
M42 viaduct nearing completion
Several key viaducts on the HS2 line have been completed or are nearing completion, with the last of six viaduct spans to carry trains over the M42 being lifted into place in September.
The 300-metre-long structure near the NEC is formed of two boxes that will support the railway as it passes over the carriageways. This approach has been chosen because of the angle at which the railway must cross the motorway.
At the time, Agnes Usciak, HS2’s senior project manager, said: “I’d like to thank motorists and local residents for their patience during this huge programme of work – our biggest yet over the motorway network.
“Splitting a huge construction programme into four separate weekends requires meticulous planning, and our engineers executed the entire operation with pin-point precision, ensuring the motorway reopened on time, every time.
“Structural completion of the Water Orton viaducts and the twin box means the end is in sight for our bumper programme of motorway works this year.”
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