The 16m-wide twin-box-shaped tunnel will carry high-speed trains beneath the village of Burton Green, near Kenilworth. The internal wall separates northbound and southbound trains.
Now the tunnel is structurally complete, the 500m-long ‘green roof’ will be installed. Excavated material from the tunnel is currently being reused for wider landscaping works,
Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) project manager Rupert Blake said the structural completion of Burton Green tunnel was a huge moment for BBV and its supply chain partners.
“A range of construction techniques have been used to deliver this complex engineering project, showcasing the team’s skill, expertise and resilience. The next step is to install a 500-metre green roof on top of the structure, so it integrates into the natural landscape,” he said.
BBV’s civil engineering team is now working on the final elements of the tunnel, including the escape walkway to the south of the tunnel, and the application of fire-proof protection to the upper tunnel walls.
As the tunnel runs underneath Burton Green village, the team had to plan the construction schedule to ensure vehicle and pedestrian access could be maintained.
Cromwell Lane, which links both sides of the village, was temporarily diverted during the construction. In October, following the completion of vital utilities works, it will reopen on its original realignment.
HS2 also created a temporary route for the Kenilworth Greenway. Once the tunnel is fully completed, the route will be reinstated close to its original alignment.
Burton Green tunnel is one of five ‘green tunnels’ being built on the HS2 route. The cut and cover design means they are shallower than deep twin-bore tunnels, and each tunnel will be finished with planting to help them blend into the landscape.
Copthall Tunnel near West Ruislip in west London is the first to be completed, while earlier this month the final segment was installed on the tunnel near Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire.
