Work on HS2 viaducts near Birmingham Airport takes major step forward

To reduce disruption for motorists, the twin 320-metre-long M6 South viaducts are being assembled to one side and will be slid over the road over a series of weekends, with each section pushed out before later sections are added behind them.

The first viaduct to be built is the ‘East Deck’, which will carry two tracks taking trains towards London. The first section – which stretches for 119m – will be slid out over a slip road next to the motorway during the weekend of 7th/8th June.

The next stages, which take the viaduct over the motorway and the M6-M42 Link Road will occur over two further weekend closures.

This complex process means that the weight of the deck will increase with each push, up from an initial 1,300 tonnes to around 3,000 tonnes by the end of the year.

At this point, the railway will be on a slight gradient, so to help maintain control, the deck – which will eventually weigh around the same as 214 double-decker buses - is being pushed slightly uphill, with the finish point 4.2 metres higher than the start point.

Liam Kenney, HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager said:

“It’s great to see the first section of the M6 viaducts coming together.

"The construction of these twin viaducts is a hugely complex process, and I’d like to thank everyone who is worked so hard to get us ready for the first slide.

“The multi-stage approach, learning lessons from previous bridge slides, will help reduce disruption for motorists and keep closures to a minimum.”

More than 200 major bridges and viaducts are being built as part of the HS2 project, which is aimed at improving journeys between London, the West Midlands and the north, while freeing up space on the existing mainline for more freight and local services.

To find out more about HS2 works and road closures or traffic disruption visit https://www.hs2.org.uk/