HS2 is celebrating the completion of its latest bridge, with the final installations being put in place on the self-contained ‘box’ bridge near Balsall Common in the West Midlands.
The construction process took 18 months, with this involving the installation of 12 parapets that will act as barriers when traffic passes over the bridge. Standing at 13.9 metres tall, the bridge is 185 metres long and 19.5 metres wide, and required 7,200 cubic metres of concrete and 1,800 tonnes of steel.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said:
“It’s great to see another key HS2 milestone reached, following 18 months of dedicated work from the project team.
“I congratulate everyone who has worked on the successful delivery of the bridge, which puts us one step closer to completing this once in a generation railway that will transform journeys for millions.”
Now that construction has been completed, the landscaping around the tunnel will become the focus, with this including the embankments. As part of this work, 80,000 cubic metres of material that was excavated from a nearby cutting in Coventry will be used, with the backfill process making sure that the structure is enclosed. This will need to be done before the road is relocated to pass over the bridge at the beginning of 2025
Jack King, Project Manager at HS2, added:
“Completion of the A452 Kenilworth Road overbridge signifies a proud moment for everyone working on the project.
“As we celebrate the installation of the final parapets this week, I’d like to thank our civils contractor, designers and everyone from our wider supply chain, who are safely and successfully delivering this huge feat of engineering.”
Balfour Beatty VINCI, the construction partner for HS2 in the West Midlands, took on the bridge operation, as well as delivering 90 kilometres of the HS2 line between Warwickshire and Staffordshire, via the centre of Birmingham. The bridge’s design was done by the joint venture between Mott MacDonald and SYSTRA.
Image credit: HS2 Ltd
