A key road linking Aylesbury and Oxford was reopened on Monday after a week-long closure as part of work to realign it across a new bridge over the HS2 route.
The A418 overbridge is slightly south of the existing road near Hartwell and stretches for 103 metres across a cutting that will carry HS2 rail services between London and the West Midlands.
Along with the recently completed A41 bridge, it is one of two major road bridges opened by HS2 in the last few weeks near Aylesbury after a prolonged period of transport disruption for the local community.
They are amongst 500 bridging structures on the HS2 project, which range from small footbridges and drainage culverts to innovative ‘green bridges’ for wildlife and huge viaducts such as the record-breaking Colne Valley viaduct which is now the longest of its kind in the UK.
Twenty-one U-shaped precast concrete beams were used to form the three spans of the bridge with the deck and wingwalls cast in situ. The total length of the road realignment is 1.1km from end to end, with more than 10km of power cables, 9km of telecoms cables and 1.5km of gas and water mains installed at the same time.
Safety will be improved with new drainage and a wider footpath and cycleway alongside the road.
While most of the work was delivered without disruption to traffic, a series of closures were needed for the utility works and to safely complete the tie-in with the existing road. Pedestrian access was kept open throughout the road closures and HS2 provided a free replacement bus service between the villages of Stone and Thame.
HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager, Ben Sebastian-Green said:“The A41 and A418 are two of the most important roads into Aylesbury, so it’s great to have both bridges open to the public. I’d like to thank everyone in our supply chain who worked so hard to complete this work – and of course the local community for their patience during the recent road closures that were required to safely deliver the project.”
Once complete, the HS2 project will improve journeys between London and the West Midlands while freeing up space on the existing West Coast Main Line for more freight and local services.
Both Aylesbury bridges have been delivered by HS2’s main works contractor, EKFB - a group made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall. The new A418 road surface over the bridge was laid over the weekend with traffic using the new alignment from 6am on Monday morning.
EKFB’s Project Director, Ignacio Chicharro said:“The A418 realignment and new overbridge opening reflects the hard work and collaboration of EKFB, our subcontractors, designers, and the local authority. This project required extensive planning and coordination, especially due to the numerous utility diversions. We’re thrilled to reopen this essential road and thank local residents for their patience during the closures.”
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