A new CGI released by HS2 shows how the Balfour Beatty Vinci joint venture (BBV) will push a 14,500t box structure under the A46 Kenilworth Bypass in Warwickshire that will carry the high-speed train.
The box is currently being built on land next to a section of the A46 rather than beneath the carriageway itself. HS2 said this would avoid the need for up to two years of traffic management measures.
BBV workers have already installed 120 concrete beams ranging between 13m and 14m in length. They were carefully lifted into place using three giant cranes to form an integral part of the structure’s top.
The final steps include completing the deck – the flat surface placed on top of the beams – and installing parapets. In the spring, the completed structure will be moved into position under the existing carriageway using an innovative technique.
This will involve a jacking mechanism, designed by specialist civil and structural engineering company Freyssinet, which will push the box across on a guiding raft at a speed of up to 2.5m per hour over a total distance of 64m.
