HS2 has started foundation work on the Rykneld Street bridge.
When completed, the bridge will carry the high-speed line underneath the busy A38 dual carriageway.
The Rykneld Street bridge is one of three being constructed at Streethay to allow HS2 to pass beneath the major road and its slip lanes, as well as the freight-only South Staffordshire Railway.
In a collaboration between HS2, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) and National Highways, the A38 has been temporarily re-routed along a 320-metre stretch of carriageway.
Once the Rykneld Street bridge is complete, the road will be restored to its original route, crossing over the new HS2 line.
Traffic is being carefully managed along this stretch of road, which is an important artery through the West Midlands.
“We will continue to do all we can to ease the impact of the works and would like to thank road users and local communities for their patience.”
David Patmore, Network Planner for National Highways
Engineers have begun piling work for the bridge, sinking 88 concrete pillars known as piles.
These underground structures are sunk at depths of between 20 and 27-metres deep and will form underground foundations to hold up the Streethay bridge.
Located in a 455-metre length cutting, the 90.5-metre Rykneld Street bridge follows the construction of the A38 Southbound Slip Overbridge and the Streethay Overbridge.
Construction of the three bridges will see the excavation of approximately 750,000 cubic metres of earth, which will be used to create embankments for the HS2 line in the area.
The Rykneld Street Bridge was designed for BBV by a collaboration between Mott MacDonald and SYSTRA.
Other major HS2 projects have begun in the West Midlands recently.
This includes positioning 15 bridge beams at Solihull’s Interchange Station and starting foundation work on the line’s terminus at Curzon Street Station in Birmingham.
“This exciting engineering project is about to move onto the next phase, as we begin the foundation work on the third and final bridge we’re building along this 455-metre retained cutting in Streethay.”
Zachary Walker, Project Manager for Balfour Beatty VINCI
“It’s brilliant to see the final piece in the Streethay jigsaw come into reality. The trio of bridges has complex interfaces, but with close collaboration between designer, contractor, HS2, and stakeholders like National Highways, we’ve been able to collectively overcome the different challenges.”
Hitesh Mistry, Engineering Manager for Mott MacDonald SYSTRA Design Joint Venture
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