24 Sep 2020
Heavy Lifts and Transport at the HS2 Delta Junction Over the River Cole in North Warwickshire, England – Video
Topics: Balfour Beatty Vinci, BBV, crawler crane, Delta Junction, HeavyLiftNews, HS2, Liebherr, LR 1600/2, River Cole, SPMT's, two parallel viaducts
The two 159m long steel spans of HS2’s River Cole Viaducts have been completed near Coleshill in North Warwickshire, signalling further progress at the project’s Delta Junction.
The operation, delivered by HS2’s civils contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), included lifting eight separate steel sections – weighing between 76 and 273 tonnes – onto six concrete piers and four abutments to form two parallel viaducts over the River Cole.
The pre-built sections were moved to the lifting position on the site using giant self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). They were then lifted into place by a Liebherr LR 1600-2 crawler crane, a highly specialized piece of lifting equipment with a maximum capacity of 600t and an operating height of up to 50m.
This section of the HS2 route between London and the West Midlands is known as the Delta Junction – a triangular section of railway line made up of embankments, cuttings and a total of 13 viaducts taking high speed tracks over motorways, local roads, existing rail lines, rivers and floodplains.
The two River Cole viaducts are being constructed over a realigned section of the River Cole for high-speed trains to travel between London and Birmingham. They curve away from the northbound route, bringing HS2 passengers into the heart of Birmingham at the city’s flagship Curzon Street Station.
This operation follows on from the completion of two viaduct spans over the M42/M6 link roads, meaning that four of the 13 Delta viaduct spans are now in place. The next stage of construction for the River Cole viaducts is to install the parapets and pre-cast concrete elements to finish the structures next year.
Sam Hinkley, Lead Senior Project Manager for Delta Junction at HS2 Ltd said, “This is a fantastic milestone for the team, who have delivered meticulous planning, design and coordination to skilfully complete this huge engineering operation in such a complex construction area.
“This is world-class civil engineering being delivered to improve connectivity in the West Midlands. It’s fantastic to see the Delta Junction viaducts take shape, with more big construction operations set to be delivered in 2025.”
Ion Cocieri, Senior Agent for Delta Junction at Balfour Beatty VINCI said, “I’m incredibly proud of the whole team who’ve worked so hard to ensure this complex operation was planned and delivered with great precision. Achieving this milestone together with my team, means we have successfully delivered a unique part of the HS2 project.”
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