The weather finally improved enough for me to pay a visit to the work sites. I don't think I can remember so much rain falling for such a long period, certainly the wettest period of official drought! First surprise was the normal access to the west side of the main line by the scrapyard was impassable . The river Hiz was in spate and the footpath was completely under water as my first photo shows. Actually this shouldn't have been a surprise considering the amount of rain that had fallen!
The footpath is normally to the right hand side of the bridge
I was forced to take a two mile detour by car and access via the Icknield Way in Ickleford. Bury Mead Springs conservation area was very waterlogged but I was able to make my way up on to the former Bedford line embankment.
This is the remaining abutment of the bridge that crossed the Icknield Way. Unsightly graffiti has been painted over. Gerry's Hole is now full to overflowing.
Speaking of graffiti, the protective hoarding on the far side of the line has been the object of some local "artists" since my last visit. This is right beside one of the fastest sections of the line and is certainly a stupid and dangerous place to do this.
Here you can see the tops of the recently poured piles. The reinforcing steelwork is protruding from top.
I am pretty sure the two sets of blue hoardings mark the points where the new viaduct will cross the main line. The graffitied one is behind the excavator on the left.
This is a group of steel reinforcing waiting to be poured with concrete
The piling machine is working right on the edge of the raised section which was the formerly the landfilled triangle between the two lines.
A shot looking south towards the scrapyard where not a lot appears to have changed. There is however another piledriver which can be seen far centre. I will take a look on the way back.
Finally a shot looking back on to the triangle. The edge seen here has been landscaped with top soil which suggest this is how it will end up. However the fenced off section in the foreground still baffles me. It remains virtually untouched.n I will check earlier photos because I have a feeling a gas main might have run through here. Probably not a good idea to pile drive through that!!
Picture of the other pile driver between the two Cadwell Lane bridges. Also some shuttering work to the right next to the gas main which you can just make out.
Turning round you can see a static cement mixer which is supplying the pile driver through a pipe buried under the road. Quite a lot of surface water here.
Next to the mixer a semi-circle has been cut into the Bedford line embankment virtually right up to the main line embankment since my last visit. This is for the second viaduct support pier.
Also the embankment between the two bridges has been stripped back
Finally work has commenced on the east side of the main line. Top soil has been removed along the line of the new embankment and piled up at the side presumably for later landscaping. This looks towards the Cambridge branch from the very end of Wilbury Way. The former sewage treatment works is immediately behind.
Turning round, this is a shot through the treatment works towards the main line. This hasn't been cleared yet although you can see the pile driver behind. Also you can just make out an East Coast express passing which marks the main line.
The main work site and offices. More activity here now as well. Haul road in the foreground.
Final shot of the stripped area of the embankment just before it swings left to join the Cambridge branch.
This was taken from Hillgate on the east side of Wilbury Way. There is a marked difference in the landscapes either side of the main line. To the west it is mainly heavy clay as can be seen from the spoil from the pile driving. This side it is chalk.
