IN Brief:
- Balfour Beatty VINCI will close Saltley Viaduct on 10 May ahead of staged demolition.
- The replacement structure will be two metres higher and 4.5 metres wider than the existing bridge.
- The 18-month programme involves rail, canal, river, road, pedestrian, and utility interfaces.
HS2 is preparing to start the replacement of Saltley Viaduct near Birmingham city centre, with the 183m section of the B4114 due to close to vehicles and pedestrians on 10 May 2026.
The existing viaduct will be demolished through a four-stage programme before being replaced with a new structure two metres higher than the current bridge, allowing the high-speed railway to pass beneath it. The works are being led by HS2 construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI and are expected to take up to 18 months to complete.
The viaduct crosses the Birmingham and Derby rail line, the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal, and the River Rea. The surrounding area also contains a substantial network of utilities, which has already been rerouted ahead of the main construction phase.
The scheme follows the opening of the nearby Aston Church Road overbridge earlier this year, which will form part of the diversion route during the Saltley works. HS2, Balfour Beatty VINCI, Birmingham City Council, and Transport for West Midlands have developed diversion routes for pedestrians, public transport, and private vehicles.
Rail services between Birmingham and Derby will be affected over two weekends in June while engineers demolish the former Aston Church Road overbridge and the section of Saltley Viaduct directly above the railway line. The canal will close to narrowboats and pedestrians from 14 July to 17 August between Roving Bridge 97 and the M6 Viaduct at Salford Junction.
The replacement bridge will use two construction methods. The span above the railway will be fabricated on site and moved into position using a self-propelled modular transporter, reducing the time needed for installation over the live rail corridor. Other sections of the deck will be completed using crane-lifted steelwork.
The new Saltley Viaduct will be 4.5 metres wider than the existing bridge, with additional space for cyclists and pedestrians. Wider walkways and LED lighting set into weathering steel panels will mirror the design approach used at Aston Church Road.
The programme shows the level of interface management now embedded in major UK infrastructure schemes. Bridge replacement is only one part of the job. Utilities, rail possessions, canal access, traffic management, local businesses, pedestrians, and future railway clearances all have to be sequenced before the visible civil engineering work can proceed.
HS2’s West Midlands route is being built through existing urban infrastructure rather than open corridors. The quality of temporary works, community engagement, logistics planning, and possession management will shape delivery as much as the final bridge structure itself.