The first giant V-shaped pier for the 300m long HS2 viaduct has now been completed. This will see high speed trains coming into the new Curzon Street Station in Birmingham. This colossal 5m structure is one of the first piers to be built for the Curzon No. 3 Viaduct which will be the final approach to HS2’s new station in the city centre.
A total of 30 piers will be installed for this viaduct all with varying heights of between 5m to 6m, and will include 4 steel tripod piers to span over the Digbeth Branch Canal.
The new piers have been built as eco-friendly as possible and incorporate a steel industry by-product known as ground granulated blast-furnace slag to cut carbon, whilst also ensuring that the structures will operate for over 120 years.
HS2 Ltd senior project manager for Curzon Street David King said: “It’s fantastic to see this first viaduct pier complete on the Curzon Street site, which starts to bring the design vision for this iconic structure to life. Construction on this site is supporting hundreds of skilled jobs in the region, and once built, Curzon Street Station will put Birmingham at the heart of the new zero-carbon high speed network.
“We’re also pleased to see eco-friendly materials being used in the construction method, supporting HS2’s ambition to cut carbon across the project.”
Over the last year, HS2’s main works contractor for the West Midlands Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) has been carrying out foundation works on site to prepare for the installation of the piers, with the deepest pile reaching 34m below ground.
The pier was built in two segments, starting with a stem pour which links the viaduct foundation with the V-shaped part of the pier. The construction team then lifted the prefabricated steel cage above the stem and installed steel panels around the cage. Concrete was poured into the formwork and left to cure for one week before removal of the panels, forming the pier’s V shape.
Each pier will take up to four weeks to be fully installed on site, with the tallest pier reaching up to 6m above the ground. After the piers are in place, teams will begin to form the deck spans connecting the piers using system falsework and formwork with the longest span between each pier stretching over 28m across the site.
BBV section manager Georgios Markakis said: “The progress we’re making at our Curzon Street site is clear to see, following the completion of the first viaduct pier. It’s a really proud moment for the team and everyone who’s helped to prepare the site over the last couple of years.
“This is just the beginning of a rolling programme, where 30 piers in total will be installed, before the decks are put in place later this year – then the viaduct will really start to take shape.”
Curzon No.3 Viaduct is 65m at the widest point, and as it approaches the station, the deck widens from a single deck at the eastern end to four separate decks at the western end, creating opportunities for a usable, flexible public space with maximised daylight under the viaduct.
The viaducts were designed through a Design Joint Venture of Mott MacDonald and Systra and Architects Weston Williamson + Partners, all working for BBV. Curzon Viaduct No.3 is part of the Curzon Street Station Approach area, which is made up of five connected viaducts between Duddeston Junction Viaduct and Curzon Street Station in central Birmingham.
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