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HS2 completes UK’s heaviest bridge slide

By Richard High, 06 May, 2025
An aerial view of the A46 Kenilworth Bypass box structure under construction with a large yellow and red crawler crane and a smaller white telescopic crane and white crawler crane. Image: HS2. The A46 Kenilworth Bypass box structure. Image: HS2.

The A46 Kenilworth Bypass has reopened 30 hours ahead of schedule following the successful installation of the UK’s heaviest bridge slide, a 14,500-tonne concrete structure pushed into place beneath the road to carry HS2 trains.

The 18-day road closure enabled HS2’s main works contractor, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), to complete the complex three-stage operation. The structure, which weighs the same as two Royal Navy destroyers, was built next to the road and slid 64 metres into place using a jacking system called Autoripage, designed by specialist firm Freyssinet. The method was chosen to avoid the need for two years of lane closures and speed restrictions that a traditional build would have required.

The slide took place at an average speed of 6.5 metres per hour, guided by 15 hydraulic jacks with millimetre accuracy. Bentonite was injected through holes in the base of the box to reduce friction and aid movement.

Cameron Thompson, head of delivery at HS2 Ltd, said: “This record-breaking slide could not have been achieved without the years of meticulous planning and preparation that the team put in, working closely with our supply chain and National Highways.”

The A46 Kenilworth Bypass box structure. Image: HS2.

The concrete box structure is part of the route into the Interchange station near the NEC, forming one of over 200 major bridges and viaducts on HS2. The excavation required removal of 35,000 cubic metres of material, much of which will be reused on site. Rebuilding the road embankment and new carriageway was completed overnight, allowing the A46 to reopen at midnight.

While the road is now open, lane closures will remain in place until 31 July to allow completion of the central reservation and wingwalls.

John McNiffe, project director at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said: “We’re extremely proud to have delivered the UK’s heaviest bridge slide. It’s a huge achievement for the team, who have worked tirelessly to reduce the impact on road users.”

The project is part of broader HS2 progress across the region, including work on the Delta Junction and River Tame West Viaduct near Birmingham, and recent tunnel completions in London.

HS2 engineers have completed the UK’s heaviest bridge slide. The massive box, the heaviest of its kind in Europe, will allow high-speed trains to pass under the dual carriageway near the new Interchange station.
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