Artist impression of one of the various footbridges along the HS2 route.

Rural footbridges

Bridges will be built to carry rural footpaths and bridleways across the new high-speed railway as it passes through Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and West Northants.

Slide 1 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 2 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 3 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 4 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 5 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 6 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 7 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 8 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 9 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Slide 10 of 10: Artist impression showing footbridge design for rural Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants - by HS2 main works contractor EKFB working with designers ASC and architects Moxon.

Footbridge construction

To improve efficiency of manufacturing and assembly all the bridges will have the same basic form, with the approach paths built into the earthworks on either side of the bridge. This also means that all the footbridges will effectively be step-free.

Designed with guidance from the British Horse Society the bridges that carry bridleways will follow the same basic pattern, with a recycled, non-slip rubber deck and the structure acting like a baffle to stop horses being distracted by passing trains.

Footbridges will be 2.5 metres wide, while bridleways will be 3.5 metres wide to allow two horses to pass comfortably and safely.

Footbridge design

Made of weathering steel, the sides of the lightweight bridges will lean outwards to maximise views of the sky and improve the experience of people crossing the railway. The internal faces of the bridges feature oak panelling and perforated stainless steel to allow views along the railway.

Weathering steel – which ages naturally to a russet brown colour – was chosen to help match the tone of the surrounding countryside, while the plates that form the structure of the bridges will be angled to appear narrower and lighter.

To emphasise the sense of lightness, each span will be slightly higher in the middle so that they appear to leap over the railway. Most of the bridges will consist of just one 42 metre span, with extra spans added where necessary to create bridges of up to 102 metres long.