HS2 recently completed its heaviest bridge drive by installing an intersection bridge structure beneath the West Coast Main Line near Lichfield
The structure is 56 meters long and 19 meters wide. It will allow the new high-speed railway to pass under the busy existing railway line. It will make up part of the route between Birmingham Curzon Street Station and Crewe.
Over the past six months, a concrete structure weighing 6,200 tonnes was assembled next to the West Coast Main Line (WCML). It has now been carefully moved into position using self-propelled modular transporters.
In preparation for the bridge drive, 61,000 cubic meters of earth have been excavated
These transporters, equipped with 840 wheels and four carrier beams, are specially designed for handling extremely heavy loads. The entire process was controlled remotely using a steering system.
The team spent two days removing the railway track and digging out an additional 15,000 cubic meters of material to create enough space for the structure.
The bridge drive is one of several important milestones for HS2 in the West Midlands. These include the completion of a one-mile twin-bore tunnel beneath Long Itchington Wood and the beginning production for 3,000 viaduct segments in Warwickshire.
“This huge feat of engineering – the UK’s heaviest single-span bridge drive – is our latest big milestone as we approach peak construction on Phase One of HS2,” said Caroline Warrington, senior project manager at HS2 Ltd.
“We’re making fantastic progress on this section of the route, with over 9,000 people working on the project in the Midlands and over 29,500 on the whole project, providing a vital boost for British businesses and jobs,” she continued.
Around 300 Balfour Beatty workers were involved in the bridge drive project.
200 people worked around the clock to move the bridge, backfill the area around it, and reinstall the railway tracks. The railway line is due to be reopened next week.
“As an engineer, big feats of engineering like this bridge drive make HS2 such a fantastic project to work on. It’s been a real team effort over the last two years, and seeing the operation successfully completed felt like a great achievement for everyone involved,” said Chloe Foster-Chambers, section engineer for Balfour Beatty.
The railway between Stafford and Rugby was closed for nine days. This was part of Network Rail’s multimillion-pound investment to improve the West Coast main line.
More bridge drives are scheduled across the Midlands
The same transporters will now install another bridge at Streethay, slightly further up the route. This bridge drive will move a 2,600-tonne structure under the South Staffordshire line, connecting Lichfield High-Level station and Derby.
“The Fulfen Wood Overbridge installation does show that with a collaborative approach and early engagement with all involved parties during the design stage of the structure, a cost-effective and a most efficient installation method can be developed early on in the project,” said Peter Schoenmakers, lead engineer at Mammoet UK.
“The early engagement allowed the designers of the structure to design the bridge that suited the available and existing equipment to be used and no special equipment had to be fabricated or purchased. This approach is very important from a sustainability perspective,” he concluded.
