HS2 engineers have finished sliding the second part of the Wendover Dean Viaduct deck into position.
A team comprising engineers from Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall (the joint venture building HS2’s viaducts) slid the 3,130-tonne structure 270m using Teflon pads to reduce friction – a material usually found on the surface of non-stick frying pans.
The operation was carried out last week over 20 hours.
The deck of the Wendover Dean Viaduct – which will eventually stretch for 450m – is being assembled in three stages, ranging from 90m to 180m sections, with each pushed out from the north abutment before the next section is attached behind it.
The Wendover Dean Viaduct is the first major railway bridge in the UK to be built with a ‘double-composite’ structure, which uses significantly less carbon-intensive concrete and steel than a more traditional design.
