HS2 saves drivers time with viaduct push (Video)

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HS2 engineers pushed forward and completed the final operation to move two railway viaducts into place over the M6/M42 link roads in North Warwickshire more than six hours ahead of schedule this weekend.

The 158-metre-long West Link Viaduct was successfully moved into its final position over both the westbound and eastbound motorway link roads in just 11 hours, faster than expected.

Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), the main contractor, completed the task ahead of schedule, allowing the link roads to reopen 6.5 hours earlier than planned.

This viaduct is one of 13 that form the HS2 Delta Junction, a key section of the railway enabling high-speed trains to connect London with Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street Station.

The move follows earlier progress in June when an 84-metre section of the viaduct was shifted halfway. Since then, additional steel girders were welded, and 38 precast concrete slabs were installed, extending the structure to 158 metres before its final relocation over the link roads.

A parallel structure, the East Link Viaduct, was positioned earlier this year using a similar two-stage process during weekend operations in February and April. This viaduct is currently being prepared for use as an internal haul road by the end of December, helping transport materials from Bromford Tunnel to Delta Junction and reducing local road traffic by eliminating thousands of lorry trips.

The four viaduct operations were carried out by a 25-person team from specialist steelwork company Victor Buyck Steel Construction (VBSC), working for BBV, utilizing a push-pull jacking system to ensure greater flexibility during the moves.

JoseLuis Preciados, Senior Project Manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI commented saying that: “This final viaduct push is a significant milestone in our construction of HS2’s Delta Junction. I’m incredibly proud of the BBV team, who’ve worked tirelessly throughout this year to ensure each of these complex operations were planned and delivered with precision.

“Each viaduct deck was built offline and moved into position over a weekend closure of the highway, drastically reducing the impacts on road users. We’ve worked in collaboration with our partners National Highways throughout the entire process, to make sure that this activity was delivered safely and efficiently.”

Tibo Suvée, Project Manager at Victor Buyck Steel Construction continued to say that: “This has been a complex eight-month operation, and the first time our push-pull jacking system has been used in the UK.

“The technique provides greater flexibility during the launching operation by allowing the bridge to be moved backwards or both ways if needed.”