Joint venture contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV), which is building the northernmost stretch of the HS2 railway, between Leamington Spa and Birmingham, has now set more than half of the 1.9 million cubic metres of concrete that is needed for its 90km railway structures.
BBV has three concrete suppliers, keeping their order books full for the foreseeable future.
Aggregate Industries, Tarmac and Cemex have together batched and delivered one million cubic metres of concrete to BBV, with the milestone achieved on the Chattle Hill structure at the Delta Junction in North Warwickshire.
There are 11 local batching plants supplying the concrete, five of which are on HS2 sites. The entire concrete programme in the West Midlands is managed by a BBV team at HS2’s Kingsbury site near Lea Marston.
High proportions of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) is specified for all mixes to reduce carbon content.
The mixes supplied cover a range of uses from deep foundations up to 30 metres placed via tremie pipes, large structural elements where the concrete is pumped into place, to the onsite precast factories producing segments for both tunnel lining and the large viaduct spans.
BBV and its suppliers have implemented a digital measuring system, which they call VERIFI, to provide real-time monitoring, measurement and management of fresh concrete during transportation.
Jon Knights, materials and durability lead at HS2, said: “The operation to manage the materials needed to build HS2’s structures is hugely complex, so this milestone is a great achievement for the whole team.
“With more than half the concrete poured for structures in the West Midlands, we’re well on the way to completing the viaducts and bridges that will carry the country’s new high-speed railway through the region.”
BBV senior construction manager Chris Jones said: “The planning, communication and logistics management needed to achieve this milestone cannot be underestimated. Working in partnership with our three concrete suppliers, the team have kept this massive operation moving, supporting delivery of HS2’s construction programme in the region.
“Carbon reduction is a big part of our materials strategy, and we’ve worked closely with our supply chain to minimise the total cementitious contents in order to cut carbon and cost.”
Aggregate Industries is supplying concrete for the Delta Junction structures, which are now taking shape. A network of 13 viaducts is being built over motorways, railway lines and rivers in the North Warwickshire area.
The Chattle Hill structure – where BBV’s millionth cubic metre of concrete was delivered – will carry four HS2 tracks over the A446 Lichfield Road on the mainline of the railway between London and Handsacre. The structure is 165 metres long, 8.3 metres high and 23 metres wide. More than 4,100 cubic metres out of a total of around 10,200 cubic metres of concrete has been used for the structure to date.
The A446 diversion to take the road under the new Chattle Hill structure was completed at the end of October 2024, with the second phase of construction set to start. This includes the central reservation piers, northern abutments and decks that will span over the A446.
Tarmac is supplying to the southern end of the route through Warwickshire, along with Washwood Heath and the Curzon approaches viaducts in Birmingham. Cemex is also providing material in Birmingham, as well as for structures being built in Staffordshire.
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