Footage of the M42 bridge demolition has been released following its destruction by Skanska
Skanska organised the bridge collapse on behalf of National Highways as part of major upgrades to the M42.
The M42 is being upgraded to improve the movement of traffic on and off the A54. The improvements will support access to Birmingham International Airport and train station.
The plans will also boost the capacity of a new HS2 station.
The M42 has been subjected to unreliable journey times and traffic congestion. According to National Highways, these issues have led to poor investment and economic growth around the M42 at Junction 6. The junction has reached its capacity, causing it to become a bottleneck, which has led to delays across the network.
A series of improvements are planned for M42
A new junction will be added on the M42, approximately 1.8km south of the existing junction near Solihull. Additionally, a new 2.4km dual carriageway link road, aligned to the west of Bickenhill will be added.
Two new roundabouts north of the B4102 Solihull Road on either side of the M42 motorway will be installed. Finally, a new overbridge above the A45 will be built to provide pedestrians and cyclists with a safer route over the A45.
Skanska completed the project over the Bank Holiday weekend as the roads were quiet. The operation took months of planning with supply chain partners.
The M2 bridge demolition was completed ahead of schedule
The M42 was closed to ensure the safety of motorists and the construction team. The road was opened 22 hours earlier than planned. The bridge demolition means work can now begin on the construction of slip roads for the new junction 5a on the M42.
“This is a significant milestone for the project. The new Solihull Road bridge was lifted into position last autumn and is expected to open by the end of July 2023. Before this could happen, the old bridge had to be demolished. Thanks to the team, this is now complete, and we are able to build the slip roads for the new junction,” said Dan Trathen, Skanska’s project director for the M42 Junction 6 scheme.
“This new time-lapse footage shows the methodical and complex work of removing the old Solihull Road bridge as part of our upgrade at junction 6,” said National Highways programme lead, Jon Simmonds.
“Given the scale of the task involved, the bridge demolition was completed using specialist equipment,” he added.
