Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) has completed a major weekend of engineering works on HS2, installing the final two 1,000-tonne viaduct spans over the M42 near Birmingham while simultaneously completing the roof structure of another major motorway crossing.
The operation marked the culmination of four weekends of intensive construction activity and represents another significant milestone for HS2 infrastructure around Birmingham.
At Water Orton, a 75-strong construction team installed two 45-metre-long viaduct spans, completing all six crossings required to carry the new high-speed railway over the M42.
Each enormous span was assembled from 18 precast concrete segments manufactured at BBV’s Kingsbury facility. Once assembled, the structures were transported into position using self-propelled modular transporters before being secured together using internal tensioning cables.
The two Water Orton viaducts form part of HS2’s complex triangular delta junction, which will connect Birmingham with the main high-speed route heading north.
While work progressed at Water Orton, another 150-strong BBV team was completing the final stage of a separate 300-metre-long twin box structure close to the NEC.
A 300-tonne crawler crane was used to lift the final 44 precast beams into position. Measuring approximately 23 metres in length and weighing as much as 92 tonnes each, the beams form part of the structure’s substantial 9,800-tonne roof.
In total, 175 beams have now been installed across the twin box. The completed structure stands approximately 10 metres high and is supported by two 145-metre-long walls and 46 internal columns.
Careful programming allowed both major operations to take place during the same weekend motorway closure, minimising disruption to road users. The M42 reopened at approximately 4am on Monday, around an hour ahead of schedule.
BBV project director Oliver Shore described the works as a “huge engineering challenge” and praised the teams involved in delivering the complex programme.
Work at Water Orton will now move into its next phase, with BBV extending the Water Orton 2 viaduct by a further 40 metres to close the remaining gap above Gilson Road.
Further activity over the motorway is already planned, with another M42 closure scheduled from 23 to 26 October to enable parapets to be installed above the carriageway.
The latest milestone demonstrates the scale of temporary works, heavy lifting, off-site manufacturing and logistical coordination involved in constructing HS2 around existing strategic highways, with BBV continuing to progress some of the programme’s most technically demanding structures across the West Midlands.
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