A 300 tonne section of a viaduct which will carry the HS2 line over a motorway in the Midlands has been moved into place.
The 84-metre structure was moved into place over the westbound link road between the M6 and M42 near Coleshill during and 11-and-a-half hour project during a recent weekend closure.
It is the first stage of the project which will see a second operation in April create the full 158-metre long deck.
Before the end of this year, a similar two-stage operation will move the identical ‘West Link Viaduct’ which runs parallel to the East Link Viaduct.
Stephen Powell, from HS2 Ltd, said: “Building the East Link Viaduct in the Delta Junction is not only a key milestone for the HS2 project in the Midlands but is also critical to our earthworks mass haul strategy to keep construction traffic off the local roads.
“While we continue to construct HS2 in this area, it will provide a crossing route over the highway for construction vehicles to move excavated material from the Bromford Tunnel to other work sites in the Delta Junction, removing thousands of lorry movements from the local road network.”
The Delta Junction is made up of embankments, cuttings and a total of 13 viaducts taking high speed tracks over motorways, local roads, existing rail lines, rivers and floodplains. T
This section will enable high speed trains to travel between London, Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street Station.
Tibo Suvée, project manager at Victor Buyck Steel Construction said: “Our team were pleased to deliver this successful operation, which was 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.
““This is really the first milestone of four, and over the next eight months we look forward to delivering the second launch of the East Link Viaduct and the same two-stage operation for the West Link Viaduct, which will complete these first viaducts on Delta Junction.”