HS2 has unveiled the latest bridge to be completed on the project and which will carry the high-speed line under the A452 Kenilworth Road, located near Balsall Common, West Midlands.

A team of 50 people based on-site celebrated the final installations on the self-contained ‘box’ bridge structure following an 18-month build process.

This involved successfully installing 12 parapets, which will act as safety barriers when traffic eventually passes over the bridge.

The colossal structure is 185 metres in length, 19.5 metres in width and 13.9 metres in height – constructed using 7,200 cubic metres of concrete and 1,800 tonnes of steel.

With the structure now complete, work will begin on the embankments and landscaping the surrounding area on both sides of the bridge, as part of the A452 realignment.

The team will reuse 80,000 cubic metres of material excavated from a nearby HS2 cutting made below ground level in Berkswell, Coventry.

The backfill process will ensure the structure is enclosed ahead of the road being moved over the new bridge in early 2025, creating space for the railway to pass underneath.

The huge operation has been delivered by HS2’s construction partner for the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), which is constructing 90km of HS2 between Long Itchington in Warwickshire to the centre of Birmingham and on to Staffordshire.

Civil engineering and groundwork specialists Galldris supported BBV with the complex build programme.

Shamus Banaghan, senior project manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said: “This bridge is a key structure that will allow HS2 trains to pass underneath the A452 near Balsall Common. Standing almost 14 metres high and 185 metres in length, the scale of this achievement is clear to see.

“The recent installation of the final parapets on the roof deck is a special moment for the entire BBV delivery team and our key supply chain partners, who’ve worked tirelessly over the past 18 months to reach this point.”

The overbridge was designed by the Mott MacDonald and SYSTRA Design Joint Venture (MMSDJV), for Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), and this marks the completion of a complex design process.

Route-wide, HS2 is building more than 500 bridging structures – including over 50 major viaducts.