River Cole Viaducts and and the Chattle Hill Structure

As we undertake the next stage of design work on the railway, we would like to make the community aware of our plans and are seeking your views on certain structures. This includes the River Cole Viaducts and the Chattle Hill Structure, which are both Key Design Elements (KDEs).

The section of the HS2 route where the River Cole viaducts are located is known as the Delta Junction. The Delta Junction is a triangular section of line where the HS2 route curves west towards Birmingham and runs north towards Crewe and beyond. It is located within the Cole Valley Landscape Character Area.

The River Cole corridor landscape is predominantly made up of agricultural farmland and formal parkland with woodland and standalone trees. The vegetation on the site is varied with riverside habitat, woodland blocks, and mostly mature scattered trees, throughout the landscape.

The Delta Junction is a complex area. The design vision is for the Delta Junction to be a catalyst to integrate HS2 into the landscape, but also to use HS2 to integrate the site into the wider area. This will be achieved by creating a harmonic relationship with the railway, the site and wider landscape through the use of connectivity, habitat creation and biodiversity, landscape integration and flood mitigation.

Before we begin construction, we are seeking your views on some specific details of River Cole Viaducts. These include:

View or download our River Cole Viaducts KDE virtual exhibition boards, June 2021

We would like you to tell us what you think about our proposals for the River Cole Viaducts.

We will be holding an online information event or 'webinar' to discuss our plans for the River Cole Viaducts and the Chattle Hill Structure on Thursday 8 July, 6.30-8pm.

The closing date for the questionnaire is Wednesday 28 July 2021 .

The Chattle Hill Structure will allow the HS2 main line to cross over the A446 Lichfield Road, letting vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians pass underneath. A continuous noise barrier will be provided along the east of the track to reduce noise levels for local residents. As part of the works, the Chattle Hill Structure will facilitate the upgrading of the A446 Lichfield Road to a dual carriageway, in line with Warwickshire County Council’s future aspirations.

Plans are still being finalised for construction of the Chattle Hill Strcuture and they will be developed to ensure the least possible disruption to local communities. We are in discussions with the local highways authority regarding the implementation of traffic management associated with the construction of the Chattle Hill Structure.

Before construction starts, we are seeking your views on some specific details of the Chattle Hill Structure. These include:

View or download our Chattle Hill Structure KDE virtual exhibition boards, June 2021

We would like you to tell us what you think about our proposals for the Chattle Hill Structure.

We will be holding an online information event or 'webinar' to discuss our plans for the River Cole Viaducts and the Chattle Hill Structure on Thursday 8 July, 6.30-8pm.

The closing date for the questionnaire is Wednesday 28 July 2021 .

We will carefully consider your views as part of our ongoing design process for the River Cole Viaducts and the Chattle Hill Structure.

Our feedback will be published on the HS2 community website: www.hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk

We will also share what we’ve learned with the local planning authority and Warwickshire County Council to help them assess our final designs once we have submitted them for their approval later this year.

KDEs are structures along the route of the new railway that have been recognised to be important. This could be due to their size, proximity to stakeholders or their location within sensitive areas. The design for the viaduct has been developed with consideration for technical and structural requirements, as well as the impact on its surroundings.

A viaduct is a type of bridge, made up of multiple spans and connecting two points of terrain. On this project they will carry the high speed railway across valleys, rivers, roads and flood plains. Modern high speed trains travel at around four times the speed of Victorian trains so they require a flatter, straighter track, passing over and under the natural landscape. Modern viaducts have to cope with large longitudinal forces due to the braking and traction of high speed trains. They require stiff and strong supports, known as piers, to transfer the braking load forces from the train, which can be as much as a 770 tonnes load, to the foundations.

For more information about HS2 please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk