Archidona Viaduct (High Speed Railway Lines between Antequera and Granada), 3150 m composite deck without expansion joints

Abstract

Archidona Viaduct is included in the High Speed Railway Line between Antequera and Granada, in the province of Málaga (Spain). This structure has a total length of 3150 m, having expansion joints just in the abutments, and becoming for the moment the continuous deck with higher distance between joints in the world. The deck has been solved with a composite cross section (double-beam solution), with constant depth and typical span length of 50 m. The design of substructure has been conditioned by the seismic resistant strategy and the need of allowing the important displacements of the deck due to thermal and reological actions. Special attention has been paid, as a result of the size of the works, to ease constructive solutions, to systematization and the use of precast elements, and to quality control of steel construction.