Plans for the new viaduct which will be built to take the new high-speed rail route across the Oxford Canal have been revealed.
Close to the village of Wormleighton, the viaduct will be 62.5m long and will carry the HS2 railway line across the canal, towpath and country lane.
The design is by HS2's main works contractor EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial and Bam Nuttall – working with architects Moxon and design partners ASC – a team made up of Arcadis, Setec and Cowi.
The canal was opened between 1774 and 1790 and was built to carry coal from the Coventry coalfields to Oxford and the River Thames.
Members of the community are invited to provide their feedback on the design and find out more from a series of webinars.
There are choices on the pier design for the viaduct and what type of finish is to be used.
The design of the viaduct has been completed to be as open as possible and to improve the environment for boaters and walkers.
For more details on the viaduct and landscape design, and how to have your say, visit the HS2 Oxford Canal Viaduct virtual exhibition room here.
HS2 Project Client Director, Ambrose McGuire said: “The Oxford Canal Viaduct is one of eight key design elements on the central section of the HS2 route and I'm pleased to see the amount of thought that's been put into the design. The building of the canals revolutionised transportation and helped to build modern Britain so it's great to see how our contemporary design includes a nod back to those eighteenth-century pioneers.
“We're keen to hear what the community has to say and I would encourage anyone with an interest in the bridge to have a look at the designs and let us know their views.”
EKFB Technical Director, Janice McKenna said: “We were given the challenge of designing a structure that would sit as lightly as possible above the canal, while being low enough to protect views across the countryside.
“That's why we came up with the idea of lengthening the span over the canal to bring in light, while keeping the continuity of the towpath and using the same kind of rough-cut masonry that is such a feature of the existing canal bridges. I hope the community like the designs and look forward to hearing their views.”
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Nice looking computer generated viaduct.
No an especially inspiring design, is it? Mind you, also not overly offensive. Just one of those things that you forget about soon after seeing. Such a shame that the old ideas of including style in designs appears to have been abandoned, as many of the lost viaducts of the past were, and remain in photos, inspiring to look at.
How about incorporating a lifting span to accommodate craft with masts and funnels?
A fairly pointless and silly idea on a canal…
Now face it with stone so it even looks like a canal bridge & not some concrete monstrosity!
Could they not finish the job off properly and paint in beige.
What a thoroughly underwhelming piece of design. Technically it might be good but visually it adds nothing. Add a bit of graffiti and it will be an eyesore. Think of all the bridges that are possible. No celebration here!