THE M6 interchange sliproad near Chelmsley Wood is set to close as HS2 engineers install the second viaduct over the motorway.
The west deck of the South viaduct, which will carry high speed trains towards Birmingham, is being assembled in four sections.
The first 107 metre section will be slid over the M6 junction 4 southbound slip road on April 11.
The engineering team from Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), HS2’s contractor in the West Midlands, forecast that it will take just two days to safely manoeuvre the 1250-tonne weathering steel structure into place.
The slip road will close at 5am on April 11 for the slide to begin.
The viaduct is expected to be in position by Sunday evening and the 45-strong crew leading the operation will conduct final safety checks ahead of the slip road’s planned reopening at 10pm on April 12.
The 320-metre-long West deck will be positioned parallel to the East deck, which was safely installed over the M6 in three stages last year.
The final stage of the East deck installation was a UK-first in civil engineering, with the main carriageway remaining open and traffic flowing below as the viaduct was slid into place.
Having successfully achieved this engineering feat, HS2 has once again worked collaboratively with its partner, National Highways, to undertake further stages of the West deck viaduct slide without closing the carriageway underneath.
Russell Luckhurst from Solihull is the BBV civil engineer leading the works.
At just 28, and with a UK-first already under his belt, he and his team are now undertaking final preparations ready for the second viaduct launch to begin.
Russell, said: “Building on the success of installing the East deck viaduct last year, we’re gearing up for the first launch of the neighbouring West deck in April.
“We’re using the same sliding technique, where a giant hydraulic jack will push the viaduct across the motorway in multiple stages throughout the year. The previous launches provided the team with invaluable experience, which they’re eager to apply to future works on this eye-catching structure spanning the M6.”
The M6 will remain open to vehicles in June, during the second stage of the West deck installation, BBV engineers will start a complex programme of work on the M6 and M42 during the summer months. HS2 Ltd is working with National Highways to finalise the schedule of works.
