Three HS2 Viaducts Reach Structural Completion in Solihull

UK: HS2 has structurally completed three viaducts on the southern approach to Interchange station in Solihull, while parapet, acoustic-barrier and waterproofing works remain on two of the structures.

The Balsall Common, Marsh Farm and River Blythe viaducts carry the new high-speed alignment across roads, watercourses, floodplains and marshland in the West Midlands. Their structural completion marks a clear civil-engineering milestone, but the three structures are not at the same finishing stage.

Three viaducts have reached different finishing stages

River Blythe is the largest of the three and lies about 1.5 miles from Interchange station. The 12-metre-high viaduct crosses the River Blythe, its floodplain and Meriden Road near Hampton in Arden. Its deck is supported by two abutments and 19 concrete piers with Y-shaped splits intended to reduce the amount of concrete.

The River Blythe structure is now structurally complete, but finishing work continues. Final parapets are due in the coming days, while acoustic barriers and final waterproofing remain. Balfour Beatty VINCI is HS2’s construction partner on the works.

Marsh Farm, the smallest structure at 145 metres long and about five metres above ground, was the first of the three to be completed, in summer 2025. It is currently being used as a haul road to support construction of adjacent embankments and cuttings.

Balsall Common parapets extend the work into 2027

The 430-metre Balsall Common Viaduct crosses Station Road, Truggist Lane, Bayleys Brook, the Heart of England Way and the associated floodplain. Its main structure was finished earlier in 2026, but installation of all 304 parapets is scheduled to continue until spring 2027.

The parapets were selected through local consultation and will use a polished finish designed to reflect the sky and surrounding vegetation, with a weave motif referencing the area’s history of textile production.

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The Interchange approach still has civil works ahead

Structural completion of the three viaducts does not mean the southern approach to Interchange is complete. On the same approach, the railway will pass beneath A45 Coventry Road. HS2 says the A45 overbridge and two slip-road bridges must be opened before earthworks and construction of the railway underneath can be completed.

At programme level, HS2’s sequencing plan moves from civil engineering into rail systems in phases, including track, power, signalling and communications. The viaduct update does not set a rail-systems handover date for the three Solihull structures.