The first HS2 Delta Junction viaduct in North Warwickshire has been completed marking a major milestone as construction ramps up on the high-speed line in the region.
Balfour Beatty Vinci, the HS2 contractor in the Midlands used a giant cantilever structure to build the 472 metre single-track River Tame West viaduct.
It is the first time in the UK that the technique has been deployed, moving the concrete segments into place span-by-span, making it an efficient and flexible construction process.
Work started on the viaduct’s piers in 2023, followed by the concrete deck construction starting in early 2024. Since then, 190 pre-cast concrete viaduct segments have been lifted into place using the specialist cantilever technique. Used in the UK for the first time, the specialist cantilever method is being used to build nine of the 13 viaducts in Delta Junction, totalling 6,500 metres in length. The process installs pre-cast concrete segments produced at HS2’s nearby factory at Lea Marston.
The River Tame West viaducts will carry three rail tracks in total, made up of one single track viaduct and one double-track viaduct. Work is now underway on the double-track viaduct.
These precast segmental viaducts are located at the northern tip of the Delta Junction – the triangular section of the railway that enables trains to run between London, Birmingham and the north. In total, Delta Junction is made of 13 viaducts and more than 10 km of track to carry HS2 over rivers, existing rail lines, local roads and motorways.
The completion of the first HS2 Delta Junction viaduct “is a big milestone for the Delta Junction team. In this very complex construction area, we’re building a network of 13 viaducts to carry new high-speed trains over motorways, existing rail lines, rivers and floodplains. Nearly 10,000 people in the West Midlands are delivering this world-class engineering, which will lay the foundations for Britain’s future rail network,” Sam Hinkley, Lead Senior Project Manager for Delta Junction at HS2 Ltd said.
In this location HS2 is also building the single-track River Tame East viaduct. In addition, two Water Orton viaducts are being built on either side of the River Tame West viaducts, making it one of the most complex sections of the HS2 railway.
The two River Tame West viaducts cross the River Tame near Water Orton and join the Curdworth Box, which will take high speed trains over the existing Birmingham to Derby railway. Construction of the 20 piers to support the two viaducts started in 2023, with the first spans of the three-track section completed in Spring 2024. This initial phase involved placing the segments onto two 42 metre truss beams, moving them into place with a skidding trolley, and securing them by post-tensioning techniques.
Since then, the giant cantilever structure was built, using a 22-metre-high mast, including temporary post-tensioning cable stays and a 14-metre-high swivel crane.
A team of 40 people are currently involved in the operation, and a total of 2,742 concrete segments in total will be moved into place for all 9 viaducts using this specialist technique. All the deck segments are due to be in place by late 2026.
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