EDGCOTE ASSEMBLY:
In October, the first of 20 pairs of piers were installed for the 515 metre (563 yards)-long Edgcote Viaduct, which will allow HS2 to cross the floodplain of the River Cherwell, south of Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire. The piers, beams, deck planks and parapets are being manufactured off-site. As with the Thame Valley Viaduct near Aylesbury, its spans will each be formed of two ‘U’-shaped beams, secured directly to the neighbouring ones. Compared to conventional techniques, it uses less concrete and steel and is also expected to be completed more quickly.