A team of 250 workers has completed a 5,600-tonne bridge move under the Coventry to Leamington Spa railway in Warwickshire
It took the team just five and a half hours to put the 22m long and 11m wide bridge in place. The operation was completed 27 hours ahead of schedule.
The team removed 113m of the rail track and 188 rail sleepers. They then excavated 15,000 m3 of ground, which included tough sandstone material. This prepared the space for the bridge to be relocated.
The bridge move was complete with minimal disruption
The specialised engineering company, Freyssinet, designed a sliding surface with five 3.8-ton jacks. The jacks were placed on a guiding raft slab, and the bridge was gradually moved over a distance of 47m.
Work to move the bridge began on Saturday, 19 July. The bridge moved at a speed of approximately 9m per hour and was completed on Monday, 31 July.
The new structure will allow HS2 trains to travel underneath the existing Coventry to Leamington Spa line.
Construction traffic can also now pass under the line, reducing the number of lorries on public roads.
HS2 has faced criticism recently
The wider HS2 project has come under criticism from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) recently.
The IPA suggested that the HS2 programme cannot be achieved as planned. Both the initial phase and phase 2a of the high-speed rail project were given the lowest rating possible in the report.
HS2 is reportedly facing problems regarding schedule, budget, quality, and the delivery of benefits. Bridge installation is, however, one area that has run on schedule and on budget.
This is the third significant bridge relocation completed by HS2 in the past two weeks.
Construction is intensifying across all HS2’s bridges and viaducts, situated at intersections with current railway lines and roads in the West Midlands.
A 6,200-tonne bridge was installed using an 840-wheeled transporter near Lichfield’s Fulfen Wood underneath the West Coast Main Line. On 28 July, a bridge weighing 2,600 tonnes was moved under the South Staffordshire freight railway line near Streethay.
“The team have done a brilliant job moving this 5,600-tonne bridge way ahead of schedule, and I’d like to thank everyone for pulling together to deliver such an efficient and safe operation,” said James Briggs, HS2’s project manager.
“The bridge was built on-site adjacent to the existing railway – an innovative approach which means it takes days, not months, to safely complete our works, keeping disruption to a minimum for rail passengers,” he added.
Stakeholders are happy with the project outcome
The construction work for HS2’s civil contracts is being carried out by Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV). The design is being completed by a joint venture consisting of Mott MacDonald and Systra.
“I am particularly proud to work alongside such an experienced team, who have worked around the clock to successfully slide the bridge into position under the Coventry to Leamington Spa railway line,” Shamus Banaghan, project manager for BBV.
“Over the last two and a half years, from design development to implementation, we have remained focused on delivering this critical bridge move during the fixed Network Rail blockade. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who has contributed to us achieving this latest feat of engineering ahead of schedule,” he added.
