The Colne Valley Viaduct, which is part of the HS2 project, is being built with the help of an enormous 700-tonne bridge-building machine.
Known as a ‘launching girder’, the 160m long bridge-building machine is the only one of its kind in the UK and will be used to lift the giant concrete deck segments that form the viaduct’s arches into position. Once each section is complete, the machine will inch itself forward into position to build the next stage.
A total of one thousand deck segments will be needed, with each one weighing up to 140 tonnes. To allow for the gentle curves of the viaduct as it crosses the valley, all the segments are slightly different shapes and made on site at a purpose-built temporary factory.
Image credit: pa
HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson described the start of construction...