Watch 1,631-tonne West Midlands HS2 bridge being moved into place during the night

HS2 says a specialist engineering team has moved a 112m-long, 1,631-tonne steel bridge over a section of Lawley Middleway - part of Birmingham’s ring road, four days ahead of schedule.

The operation was successfully delivered by HS2’s main works contractor in the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) and their bridge move contractor Mammoet.

To minimise disruption to road users, the huge span was moved during night-time road closures - moving between 18 and 24 metres every night using a special skidding system - ensuring that the road has remained open during the day.

From the first day of the move on August 15, the team, helped by favourable weather conditions, were able to get ahead of programme, meaning the road could be back to normal by 6am on August 22, instead of the planned full reopening on August 25.

HS2 says, rather than building the bridge in situ, disruption to road users was drastically reduced by constructing the steel span on land next to Digbeth Canal over the last two years.

On August 15, heavy lifting engineering experts Mammoet rotated the bridge 90 degrees using two self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs).

Over the following four nights, a skidding system - with a jacking push/pull mechanism - was used alongside the SPMTs to move the structure into place across Lawley Middleway.

This combination of techniques is rarely used and is a first for BBV on the HS2 project.

Lawley Middleway bridge forms part of the railway’s approach to Birmingham, with high-speed trains travelling out of the west portal of the 3.5 mile Bromford Tunnel at Washwood Heath and onto a one mile stretch of five connected viaducts - Duddeston Junction, Curzon 1, Curzon 2, Lawley Middleway and Curzon 3 which links onto the platforms of Birmingham Curzon Street Station.

HS2 says work will now progress on this section of the railway with the second Bromford Tunnel breakthrough, Curzon 2 viaduct move, first Duddeston Junction Viaduct move, reopening of Aston Church Road, demolition of the old Aston Church Road bridge and start of construction of the new Saltley Viaduct - all set to happen over the next 12 months.

HS2’s Head of Delivery for the Curzon Approaches Greg Sugden

Greg Sugden, HS2’s Head of Delivery for the Curzon Approaches, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the team, and the culmination of two years’ work including detailed design, planning, construction and delivery of this highly technical launch operation.

“It is the first steel structure to be put in place for the one mile stretch of viaducts on the approach to Birmingham Curzon Street Station - a pivotal part of the high-speed railway now starting to take shape.”

Project Manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI Georgios Markakis

Georgios Markakis, Project Manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said: “This is a proud moment for my team, who have worked hard to deliver this impressive feat of engineering. Through careful planning and expert support from our supply chain, we were able to deliver the operation much quicker than planned.

“Not only have we successfully delivered a milestone feat of engineering on the HS2 project, we’ve also been able to get the road back to normal early - which is good news for everyone.”