The 3,700t deck of the Wendover Dean Viaduct in Buckinghamshire has completed after an eight-month slide operation.
Our civils team supported the main works contractor, Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM JV (EKFB), with the detailed design of the temporary engineering works for the major bridge launch. This included detailed design of the north and south earthworks embankments and launching platform, associated working platforms and concrete bases. Teflon pads were placed between the deck and the temporary steel bearings to minimise friction. The significantly reduced thickness of the launching and working platforms, achieved by specifying a special type of geogrid, resulted in a more economic and sustainable design that was easier and quicker to construct.
Upon overall completion, the viaduct will carry the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway line across farmland between Wendover and Great Missenden. This will be the first major railway bridge in the UK to be built with a ‘double composite’ structure, using significantly less carbon-intensive concrete and steel in comparison to a more traditional design.
Completed by EKFB, the deck was assembled in three stages with segments pushed sequentially from the northern abutment before the next was attached behind it. The weight of the deck increased with each push, starting at 590t and reaching 3,700t by completion.
In a recent statement, Nicola Henderson-Reid, HS2 Ltd Head of Delivery, said: “The last eight months have been incredible, and I’d like to thank everyone involved in getting us to where we are today. It’s been fascinating to watch the deck slowly inch into position, and we now look forward to the next stage of the project – lowering the deck into final position and completing the complex concrete work that will support the new railway.”
Richard Brooks, Waterman’s National Service Lead for Civil Structures, commented: “The completion of the viaduct launch is the culmination of a great team effort between the full engineering design team. As the temporary works designers, we are proud to be part of this success story and look forward to working with EKFB again in the future.”
