HS2 prepares to ‘slide’ 10,000-tonne Marston Box rail bridge into place over the M42
Newly released time-lapse footage shows complex preparation work for HS2’s Marston Box bridge over the M42 during a week’s closure of a section of the motorway in December 2021. The video shows the Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) site team working around the clock to deliver the intricately planned operation in just seven days.
During the M42 closure between Junction 9 and 10, carried out in collaboration with National Highways, the team removed the existing surface of the motorway where the bridge will be located, created a three metre deep cutting, installed and connected new drainage, created foundations and improved the stability of the ground to support the weight of the bridge. They also replaced motorway barriers, and installed additional safety barriers and a new surface to enable the motorway to re-open to road users on time.
The work was carried out in preparation for the UK’s first ‘box slide’ of a railway bridge over a motorway. The innovative technique involves building the entire structure on land next to the motorway and then using a guide raft to slide it into place. This dramatically cuts down disruption to road users and forms part of HS2’s plan to reduce the impact of construction on local communities.
Video uploaded on 08/03/2022 12:00am.
Previous Page