Colne Valley Viaduct

The Colne Valley Viaduct is a planned bridge which will carry the High Speed 2 railway over the Colne Valley Regional Park and the Grand Union Canal, in Hillingdon, west London. It is designed to be 2.1 miles (3.4 km) long. The plans have provoked controversy.

Colne Valley Viaduct
CarriesHigh Speed 2
CrossesColne Valley Regional Park
LocaleUxbridge
Characteristics
Total length2.1 miles (3.4 km)

History

The design of the viaduct, created by Knight Architects, was unveiled by the British Government on 19 January 2018.[1] Further work on the design is being carried out by Grimshaw Architects.[2] In April 2019, Buckinghamshire County Council requested that the government paused all preparatory work until the Oakervee Review had been completed and disagreed with HS2 Limited over mitigation works.[3]

Design

The viaduct has a 120-year design life. Four metre high translucent acoustic barriers will be placed along the entire viaduct to reduce noise emissions while still allowing passengers to view the valley. The viaduct will have a curved structure and will cross the water with 80 metre spans with shorter spans above land.[4] The design has been criticised by Stop HS2 for ignoring the needs of local residents.[5]

Construction

In April 2019, twelve Extinction Rebellion protestors began treesitting in order to prevent HS2 Limited chopping down trees as part of preparatory works at Harvil Road, near to the proposed site of the viaduct.[6] There had been a protest camp next to the road since October 2017, which HS2 began evicting in January 2020.[7]

To construct the viaduct a farmhouse was compulsory purchased and a watersports centre will relocate. Both properties lie in the path of the viaduct and will be demolished.[8][9]

References
  1. press, Contact form https://www hs2 org uk The; Only, Media Enquiries Line Is for Accredited Journalists. "HS2 reveals Colne Valley viaduct concepts". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  2. Hopkirk, Elizabeth; Rogers2020-04-15T10:26:00+01:00, Dave. "Huge boost as government tells HS2 to start work". Building Design. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  3. Smale, Katherine (6 August 2019). "HS2 and council clash over Colne Valley viaduct 'uncertainty'". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  4. "HS2 Colne Valley Viaduct". Grimshaw. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  5. Wareham, Stephanie (24 January 2018). "Campaigners criticise HS2 plans for 'one of the longest viaducts in UK'". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  6. Snaith, Emma (27 April 2019). "Extinction Rebellion activists camp out in trees to protest HS2". The Independent. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  7. Taylor, Diane (7 January 2020). "HS2 begins evicting activists from protest site after two years". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  8. Harris, Simon (29 July 2020). "Couple lose battle to save their dream home from HS2 bulldozers". ITV News. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  9. "Rise in injunctions against HS2 protesters". the Guardian. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

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