Whalley viaduct, a Victorian viaduct that forms an iconic part of the Ribble Valley landscape, is benefitting from a £1.6 million (1.7 million euros) investment by Network Rail. The viaduct is located on the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.
The project aims to strengthen the viaduct to help keep it in use for decades to come and improve the drainage around it using a system which will also help to reduce the impact on flooding in the area when nearby river levels are high. The duration of the works is six months.
In total, 2,800 steel brackets and 16,800 anchors will be fixed to the sides of the viaduct to improve the long-term stability of the structure. Approximately 1.4km of handrails will be fitted to create safer working conditions for Network Rail’s orange army while it carries out this and future work.
A new 400m drainage channel and 16 catch pits, including a flow control chamber, will also be dug out at ground level. This will hold excess surface water from the track during heavy rainfall and prevent it from discharging into the River Calder, helping to reduce the impact on local flooding.
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