Award-winning engineering as HS2 Colne Valley Viaduct recognised for design excellence

The 3.4km Colne Valley Viaduct delivered for HS2 by our Align joint venture has been named winner in the engineering category of the Fine Art Commission Trust’s third annual Building Beauty award.

The judges described the viaduct as an engineering and design “tour de force”. They went on to say: "For such a massive object it treads lightly and moves delicately – even the expansion joints are elegant, and the decking is poised on bearings. The concrete is varied in form and treatment, with smooth surfaces set off by gentle corrugation; the acoustic wings attached to the sides of the bridge are, appropriately, light and airy. There is nothing gratuitous or pedestrian here, no applied ornament. The ornament is the structure itself…

"The result is a breathtaking composition, its drama enhanced by its curving form as it crosses the lakes, the curve of the whole picking up the curves of the individual arches, and then each curve reflected in the water."

Align Project Director, Loïc Menard said: “We are delighted to win this engineering award for the design and construction of the viaduct, which has been a huge technical challenge for everyone involved. Once the stunning design was finalised the challenge was to get it built, and huge credit should go to all the different teams involved within Align, working with our numerous supply chain partners. This is an award for everyone on the project, building what I have no doubt will be the most iconic feature of HS2.”

Construction of HS2’s – and the UK’s – longest rail viaduct began near Denham on London’s north western edge in 2021. Align JV, our joint venture with Bouygues Travaux Publics and VolkerFitzpatrick, drew upon international expertise to create a landmark structure to carry 320km/h trains in a gentle curve across land and water.

In September 2024 the last of exactly 1,000 giant concrete pre-cast segments used to build the structure’s deck was fitted into place. Weighing up to 140 tonnes and made on site, each one is uniquely shaped to achieve the viaduct’s curve and the varying lengths of its 57 arch spans that reach down to piers built on land and in two lakes.

The Colne Valley Viaduct’s construction will next move into the rail systems installation phase as it progresses towards becoming an operational part of the new high speed railway between 2029 and 2033.

HS2’s longest viaduct crosses 18th century Grand Union Canal

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