Balsall Common Viaduct


Balsall Common Viaduct is a railway viaduct under construction in Balsall Common that will carry the High Speed 2 railway line.
The finalised design of the viaduct was issued in February 2023; it will be a mostly concrete structure, comprising 16 piers and a bridge deck approximately above ground. Various measures to mitigate acoustic, environmental, and community impact will be incorporated into the construction process and the finished viaduct. The viaduct is planned to finish in early 2027.

Design

The Balsall Common Viaduct will carry the railway line over Station Road, Bayleys Brook, the Heart of England Way, and the local floodplain. It will have a length of, be supported by 16 piers, and have a deck approximately above ground. The piers have been designed to minimise their visual impact as much as possible while still fulfilling all relevant technical requirements as structural members. The viaduct will be constructed primarily of concrete and has been designed to require low levels of maintenance and to last for 120years.
The viaduct features barrier parapets that incorporate an integrated acoustic surface to absorb the noise generated by passing trains. These parapets will be polished as to intentionally reflect the sky in order to reduce the viaduct's visual impact. Environmental impact mitigation measures include a native woodland planting scheme that will also provide screening of the viaduct; neighbouring land will also see hedgerow planting to improve wildlife connections. Bayleys Brook will be realigned to increase habitat for fish and aquatic invertebrates. Existing public rights of way will also be maintained and a new public space of roughly one hectare will likely be provisioned, the specifics of which are to be based on community input.
The main contractor for the viaduct's construction is Balfour Beatty VINCI. The method of construction would reportedly include the use of precast concrete beams along with other precast elements, such as the bridge parapets. Haulage routes between the site and the Lavender Hall Lane and Park Lane compound will be provisioned to separate the majority of construction traffic from the local road network. Various temporary measures to minimise the impacts of HS2 on the landscape and environment will be implemented.

Construction

Following a twelve month community consultation process, the finalised design for the viaduct was released during February 2023. The consultation process was criticised for a lack of alternative options for the viaduct being presented to the community. In May 2023, the British government overruled two rejections by Solihull Council for construction lorries bringing materials for the Balsall Common Viaduct works from driving on village roads; the rejections had been made on safety grounds, alleging that the roads lacked sufficient width and mitigating measures had not been satisfactory. The project has been criticised for presenting a lack of alternative options during the community feedback stage, as well as for the additional road traffic that construction activity has generated.