Video and photos: HS2 begins foundation works for key A43 bridge just outside Brackley

The A43 – which links Oxford, Brackley and Northampton – is a vital route, providing access to Silverstone and connections between the M40 and M1.

Two weekend closures were needed during the seven-month realignment project, with HS2 working with National Highways to create an ‘island’ between the two carriageways big enough for the construction of the new bridge deck.

HS2 engineers have now begun work on the 52m deep piled foundation that will support the weight of the bridge. These will be topped with concrete pile caps and piers supporting the 66-metre-long bridge deck that will carry the road.

Once the deck has been completed, the road will be moved back over the new bridge and excavation can begin to create space for the railway to pass underneath. This multi-stage approach was designed to keep traffic flowing and reduce disruption.

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The almost 80km stretch of railway that passes Brackley – including the A43 bridge – is being delivered by HS2’s main works contractor EKFB, a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall – working with ASC (a joint venture between Arcadis, Setec and COWI).

They worked with National Highways and EKFS’s sub-contractor, Kier Highways, to construct the temporary realignment over a seven-month period last year.

The last few months has also seen significant progress at HS2’s other major viaducts, with the first deck slide for the enormous Delta Junction over the A42/M6 link road outside Birmingham and the start of a half-kilometre deck slide at Wendover Dean.