Jenkins’ vision of Ordsall Chord now a reality

The design vision for the Ordsall Chord is now complete following the installation of two huge steel cascades – the final part of the first network arch bridge in the UK.

The bridge designed by BDP’s transport architect director Peter Jenkins is the centre piece of the mammoth civil engineering rail project which will link Manchester’s Piccadilly and Victoria rail stations for the first time, unlocking new routes and improving connections and journey times across the north of England.

The Ordsall Chord line is 300 metres of track and a series of new bridges and viaducts designed by BDP in conjunction with engineers from Parsons Brinkerhoff, Aecom and Mott MacDonald.

When the entire project is finished by December 2017, it will provide new and direct links from the north to Manchester Airport, and help support Network Rail’s Great North Rail Project, part of the wider Railway Upgrade Plan.

The site is pivotal to the global history of the railways. The new track and structures are on the site of George Stephenson’s 1830 Grade I-listed bridge over the River Irwell which carried the very first passenger trains to the adjacent Liverpool Road Station, the first passenger station in the world.

BDP Manchester studio is designing all the major architectural and urban realm elements of the project, including the landscaping and lighting to the important public spaces and heritage features beneath the bridges and viaducts.

Earlier this year, two slender 89 metre long arches were lifted and fixed into position on a new bridge over the River Irwell, Salford – the single-span network arch bridge is the second-longest in the world to carry twin heavy-rail tracks.

Now the final pieces of the bridge, the 40-tonne ‘dips’ in the steelwork that the project team has termed ‘the cascades’ have been installed, completing the bridge, which weighs 1,600-tonnes overall.

Rochdale man Jenkins is the new head of transport for the BDP worldwide.

He said: “The overall concept for the bridges is that of a continual, flowing ribbon which incorporates individual structures into a single over-arching identity.

“This latest piece of steelwork connects the River Irwell and Trinity Way bridges with a twisting, sinuous form which smoothly brings the concept of the structure to fruition. The development has been a true team effort from the original sketch through to construction, integrating different people and different tools to achieve the vision.

“The process began with pen and paper concepts which were explored through structural analysis and developed into complex three-dimensional modelling. The bridge’s arches and cascades were then fabricated by Severfield in Bolton using the latest steelwork techniques before being delivered to site.”

Allan Parker, Network Rail programme manager, said: “The installation of the cascades completes the final and unique steel ribbon-effect which runs along the outside of the network arch bridge.

“We’ve reached yet another major milestone in the project and I would like to thank all those who have played an integral role, especially the teams from Skanska BAM and Severfield.

“ We are a step closer to providing the infrastructure for more frequent trains and better connections, not only within the city, but the north of England.”