For the past nine months, the EKFB Joint Venture (Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall) which is responsible for constructing the central section of HS2 has been ‘pushing’ uphill an increasingly heavy bridge deck, just to the south of Wendover in Buckinghamshire.
The 450-metre-long deck for the Wendover Dean viaduct, which is now in position, initially weighed 590 tonnes during the first bridge ‘slide’, which took place in January this year. But by the time the full deck had been assembled prior to the final slide, the structure weighed 3,700 tonnes.
The bridge slide, which is sometimes referred to as a ‘push launch’, involves ‘pushing’ (or more accurately ‘pulling’) the deck over pre-built concrete piers.
It was achieved using a winch and pulley system situated by the northern abutment.…
