A43 bridge over HS2 railway makes progress following foundation works
24 March, 2025 By Nia Kajastie
Construction of the A43 bridge near Brackley, designed to allow for the passage of High Speed 2 (HS2) trains beneath a critical artery linking Oxford, Brackley and Northampton, has made significant strides, following completion of piling last year.
Over several consecutive weekends, HS2 Ltd’s main works contractor EKFB – made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall – has been making progress with lifting the steel beams in place that will support the new A43 overbridge near Brackley in West Northamptonshire.
EKFB is delivering the 80km long C23 section of HS2, which runs between Chiltern Tunnel and Long Itchington Wood, working together with ASC, a design joint venture between Arcadis, Setec and Cowi.
The A43 road, a vital route for drivers accessing key locations such as Silverstone, had to be temporarily realigned to facilitate the bridge construction. National Highways and EKFB worked together with Kier Transportation to construct the temporary realignment to keep traffic flowing during the works.
The project team began preparation work in 2023 to create an “island” section between the carriageways, where the new bridge deck could then be constructed.
Foundations
Between March and May 2024, utilising a top-down construction method, the project team installed deep piled foundations that extended down to 52m, before then building pile caps and piers to support the 66m long bridge deck that will carry the road.
The piling works were undertaken by a joint venture between Bauer Technologies and Keller UK (BKJV), while Socotec UK has assisted with instrumentation and monitoring (I&M) services in relation to heave.
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