Balfour Beatty VINCI has successfully completed a major construction operation near Lichfield as part of the HS2 project. The operation involved excavating 14,000 tonnes of earth, building a 140 metre retaining wall, and moving a 2,600 tonne bridge deck 130 metres into place under the South Staffordshire freight railway. The project was carried out over a 10-week period by over 150 people and 18 different supply chain companies. The bridge will enable HS2 trains to travel under the existing railway between Birmingham and Crewe. The design of the bridge has reduced the total length of wall structures for the railway at Streethay from 1.6 kilometres to 420 metres, saving around 420,000 tonnes of carbon.
The construction operation involved various tasks such as design, surveys, piling works, bridge build, concrete pouring, crane operations, reinforcements, modular transportation, track and systems removal and reinstatement. The project was completed alongside the construction of the nearby Fulfen Wood bridge, which involved moving a 6,200 tonne single span structure under the West Coast Main Line. David Millar, Rail Interface Manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said, "It's only been possible thanks to the skill, dedication and support shown by the project team over the past few years, including our supply chain."
Caroline Warrington, Senior Project Manager at HS2 Ltd, praised the collaborative effort of the project, stating, "These are some of the many companies that are helping to build Britain's new zero carbon railway, supporting thousands of jobs right across the country." Mark Jordan, Mainline Design Director at Mott MacDonald Systra Design Joint Venture, added, "It's no small task to coordinate milestones like the Streethay bridge, with expertise from our geotechnical and structural engineering teams delivering design to meet the interfacing requirements of both HS2 and Network Rail."