It was constructed of brick with 27 arches, 100 feet (30 m) high with a total length of 600 yards (549 m).
The British engineer was Joseph Locke and the contractors were William Mackenzie and Thomas Brassey.
[1][2][3] Shortly after it was completed, after several days of heavy rain, the viaduct collapsed on 10 January 1846.
[2] Whatever the cause, Brassey rebuilt the viaduct at his own expense, this time using lime of his own choice.
[4] The building of the Viaduct is fictionalized in Julian Barnes's short story "Junction," published in his 1996 volume Cross Channel.