Balsall Common Viaduct

Balsall Common Viaduct is a railway viaduct under construction in Balsall Common, England, 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 10 metres (33 feet) above ground. The viaduct is planned to finish in early 2027.

Background

During design development, the initial Environmental Statement scheme reduced the proposed viaduct's length from 450 m (1,480 ft) to 250 m (820 ft), linked to a 160 m (520 ft) retaining wall on the Berkswell side of its the north-western end. A later design extended the viaduct to 350 m (1,150 ft), removing the need for the retaining wall and avoiding the need to realign a public right of way. The submitted design increased the viaduct to 425 m (1,394 ft), citing improved flood management.

Following a year long community consultation process, the finalised design for the viaduct was released during February 2023. The process was criticised by some residents and politicians for a lack of alternative options for the viaduct being presented.

In May 2023, the British government overruled two rejections by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council for construction lorries bringing materials for the viaduct's works driving on village roads. The rejections had been made on safety grounds, alleging that the roads lacked sufficient width and that mitigating measures had not been satisfactory.