Curzon No.3 Viaduct and the Lawley Middleway Viaduct

Curzon Viaduct No.3 and Lawley Middleway Viaduct are part of the Curzon Street Station Approach area, which is made up of four connected viaducts between Duddeston Junction Viaduct and Curzon Street Station.

The other viaducts are Curzon Street No.1 Viaduct (furthest from the station) and Curzon Street No.2 Viaduct. Refinements to the design have led to a shorter construction programme and less concrete needed to build the viaduct, benefiting the environment and the community.

Viaduct construction

As Curzon No.3 Viaduct approaches Curzon Street Station, the viaduct deck widens from a single deck at the eastern end to four separate decks at the western end to maximise daylight in the public space underneath.

V-shaped piers have been developed to support the viaducts because they take up less room at ground level and will also have a side recess for future potential services to be visually integrated. As well as separating the viaduct into four separate decks, the V piers will also help to maximise the opportunities to create a usable and flexible public space under the viaduct.

As Curzon No.3 Viaduct crosses Digbeth Canal the concrete V piers are substituted by four inverted steel piers, referencing the heritage of canal-side cranes in Birmingham. This also means the Digbeth Canal area will remain a visually attractive area to the public, combining 21st Century HS2 infrastructure with the 19th Century Digbeth Canal area.

Viaduct design

Through the development of the designs the width of the viaduct has been reduced from 71 metres to 65 metres and the Curzon Street Pumping Station that was previously located south of the viaduct has been removed. Water that gathers on the viaduct will now be drained into either an attenuation pond (an area on the ground that temporarily stores excess water before releasing it in a controlled way), or an underground attenuation tank.

Key facts

• Length: 300m
• Height: 6m
• Number of piers: 30
• Construction approach: The use of V piers, which take up less space at ground level to allow for more public space.