The bridges carry both road and cycle track, crossing what will be a section of the high-speed rail track in Warwickshire
The two new HS2 road bridges, Fosse Way bridge and Offchurch Greenway bridge, carry traffic on the B4455 near the village of Offchurch, near Leamington.
The former links the road between Exeter and Lincoln, and is now in use for local traffic around Leamington and Coventry, while the latter connects Leamington to Rugby.
The old road will now be demolished
With both bridges completed, open, and in use, the old sections of road will now be demolished by HS2 contractors, making way for the new railway.
The Fosse Way bridge measures 78m long and 14m wide, allowing pavement to be built running alongside the road. The Greenway bridge measures 68m long and 22m wide and will feature grass verges on either side.
Vicki Lee, HS2 Ltd’s senior project manager, said: “It’s great to see the Fosse Way and Offchurch Greenway bridges open to the public within a few days of each other. These bridges may be relatively small, but they play a vital role in keeping communities connected and I’d like to thank everyone who worked so hard over the last few years to get them open to the public.”
John McNiffe, project director for Balfour Beatty VINCI, said: “The recent completion of the Fosse Way and Offchurch Greenway bridges is the latest example of how we’re helping to deliver the HS2 project in Warwickshire. It’s great news for the local community, who will benefit from increased connectivity in the area. We’d like to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding as we continue to deliver this exciting construction programme.”
Progress being made in several areas
Earlier this month, HS2 celebrated its final breakthrough with tunnel boring machines, after the Bromford tunnel dig was completed. The last boring machine used, Elizabeth, connected with where the first machine, Mary Ann, broke through earlier this year.
For this tunnel alone, more than 1.8m tonnes of material was excavated and 5,804 concrete ring segments were put in place.
Alan Morris, HS2 Ltd’s construction delivery director said: “Today’s breakthrough is a major milestone for the tunnelling team here in Birmingham and for the HS2 project. All eight of the TBMs digging our tunnels between Old Oak Common and Curzon Street have now broken through, which means that the focus is now on the internal concrete work, ventilation shafts, and cross passages.
“I’m immensely proud of the men and women who have worked around the clock to bring our TBMs and their crews home safely, and I look forward to seeing more progress inside the tunnels in the years ahead.”
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