HS2 thanked locals and passengers for their patience while they undertook the works on Small Dean viaduct without delay over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
The closure of the Chiltern railway line south of Aylesbury was critical so that preparation work could be undertaken to install one of the many support piers for the viaduct, which is to be set just 5 metres to the east of Aylesbury line.
The work included building 49-metre-deep foundations and the installation of a 42-tonne ‘Y' shaped segment onto an already constructed pier on the west side of the Aylesbury line.
This viaduct will consist of just six large piers, though despite this it will be 345 metres long. It is designed to be hidden from a distance.
It is being set low into the landscape as it is one of two places where HS2 will be above the surface level in the Chilterns.
The span will also cross the A413, which will have a 6-metre clearance from the road surface level.
The viaduct is made from pre-cast concrete, and the girders are made of weathering steel, which will enable it weather and become disguised to match the colour tones of its natural surroundings within the landscape.
Deck stiffeners will be added to the girders to improve the forces on the beams so they don't become too overloaded, thus increasing their life span.
Part of this construction process will see a style of installation similar to that used in the Victorian era, with the girders built to one side before sliding them into place across the completed piers. This will be completed during spring next year.
The works are being carried out by the main works contractor EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall – working with their design partner, ASC (a joint venture between Arcadis Setec and COWI).
Between them and Network Rail, they planned the weekend closure and helped with the construction to ensure everything was completed on time.
It's great to see the first piers for the Small Dean viaduct coming together. Once complete, this striking viaduct will carry HS2 services between Britain's two largest cities, improving journeys and freeing up space for more trains on the congested West Coast mainline. I'd like to thank passengers for their patience and our contractors for all their hard work over the bank holiday weekend.”
HS2 Ltd's Senior Project Manager, Ben Sebastian-Green
The Small Dean Viaduct Team is delighted to have successfully and safely completed all planned works over the Easter weekend. The closure has allowed us to deliver vital works adjacent to the existing railway which will now enable the next phase of the viaduct build. It is very exciting for me to see the various parts of the viaduct starting to take shape as we work towards launching the viaduct over the existing road and railway next year.”
EKFB's Project Manager, Martin Gamble
Part of the works HS2 will undertake is the realignment of both Small Dean Lane and the A413, both of which will need to be moved slightly, this will enable all forms of transport to interplay with the change in heights between the shared foot & cycle paths, road, and railway viaduct, making smooth interaction and quicker journeys for all.
The foot & cycle path will form part of a long-term project, the Misbourne Greenway, linking Wendover to Great Missenden, where it will run parallel briefly with the A413 as it passes under the viaduct.
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You will not approve comments that contradict HS2, that being the case, it never would have been passed in the first place.
I have NEVER heard anyone say they agree with the project and indeed back it or loon forward to it even!.
Not a single person and i cannot count the hundreds of meetings,forums etc etc I have sat on to debate the HS2 Project, for want of a better word!.
Utter carnage and we do definately NOT accept their thanks or pathetic appologies for the complete chaos throughout the chilterns, once deemed an AONB area!!
and the massacre of our Land properties,busineses etc etc etc. We did not request this unwanted unuseable train that doesn’t even stop in our region, it will just thunder through it, having made wildlife and indeed humankind homeless and bereft. Most people have YET to recieve any of the compensation and to be frank, nothing will compensate all areas affected by this scurge thrust upon us and the land.
May god help us as we witness utter carnage and heartache, including suicides in some cases!!
And you say this is progress?
In Aylesbury and it’s surrounding areas you simply cannot get from A to B on our Roads, roads WE the local Tax payers are funding, and funding a High Speed Train we cannot board and do not wish to either!.
This should have been aborted and willbprobably never be finished in my lifetime, we never seem to see anything through to fruition,totally innept as per, nothing new there eh!.