HS2 in Warwickshire
Sections of both Phase One and Phase 2b of HS2 will pass through Warwickshire, using a variety of structures including viaducts and tunnels, designed to minimise our impact on the area.
Phase One of HS2, between London and the West Midlands, is under construction, while plans for Phase 2b, from the West Midlands to the North of England will be considered by Parliament in future.
The southern section of HS2 in Warwickshire includes two viaducts in the Radbourne area, before passing Southam and entering a tunnel underneath Long Itchington Wood. The route travels on viaducts over the River Itchen and the Oxford Canal as it continues through the county.
HS2 then travels north-west of Bascote Heath, including past Offchurch and Cubbington. The route also passes through Burton Green, in a ‘green tunnel’ designed to minimise our impact on the area, before moving on towards the state-of-the-art Interchange Station over the border in Solihull.
After Interchange Station, the North Warwickshire section passes to the west of Coleshill, as it crosses the M6 and M42 motorways, towards what is known as the ‘Delta Junction’ near Water Orton. The Delta Junction area of the route consists of three sections, comprising the main line of the railway, and two spurs running in and out of Birmingham City Centre towards Curzon Street Station – the heart of the HS2 network.
Further north of the junction, the route passes through Lea Marston where it splits to join the Phase 2b route in a north- easterly direction past Kingsbury. The Phase One line continues north, past Middleton, where it leaves the county.
Find out more about our works in the area
Main site activities
Use the links below to find out about works at our main sites in Warwickshire.
Management of construction traffic in the Water Orton area
HS2 has a haul road strategy which means we‘ve built roads linking our construction sites in order to take lorries off public roads. We take our responsibilities to local communities very seriously and try to minimise the impacts of construction wherever possible.
In the Water Orton area, we’ve built an access off the M6/M42 link roads which connects with our dedicated haul roads. We’ve built a haul road in this location – carrying our vehicles directly off the nearby M6/M42 link roads to the works site – which means the majority of HS2 construction traffic doesn’t travel through Water Orton village.
There are occasions where we are required, working with the local highway authorities and the Police, to move a small number of abnormal loads on the local highway network in and around Water Orton. There may also be an occasional emergency situation which could prevent the use of our haul roads or other dedicated access routes which could result in the use of the highway network.
A46 Kenilworth Bypass Main Compound
We are proposing to temporarily extend the existing A46 Main Compound to the north to store and manage construction materials. The extension will be situated between the A46 Kenilworth Bypass, Stoneleigh Road and the B4115 Ashow Road and will be operational from 2023 to 2028.
Our proposals will reduce construction traffic on local roads, including the B4115 Ashow Road, by creating extra storage space in the A46 Main Compound and delivering new and quicker access via the A46 Kenilworth Bypass and Stoneleigh Road.
We will also take steps to mitigate any environmental impact caused by our proposals, including retaining and protecting Kings Wood whilst also boosting biodiversity by seeding wildflowers.
We hosted two in-person events and a series of stakeholder meetings to hear your feedback on the plans.
We incorporated that feedback to refine our proposals. Changes included reducing the footprint of the compound extension by around one hectare and reconfiguring our site to reduce hedgerow removed by 50%.
A46 Kenilworth Bypass Main Compound extension information boards
A46 Kenilworth Bypass Main Compound you, said we did – May 2023
Works timeline
- Public consultation events (December 2022)
- Planning Submission (Summer 2023)
- Planning Application to be heard by WDC Planning Committee (Within sixteen weeks of planning submission)
- Construction begins (2023*)
- Compound extension operational (2023 to 2028*)
- Site reinstated (By 2030*)
*Subject to planning approval
Dalehouse Lane Overbridge
We will be constructing an overbridge which will raise Dalehouse Lane to bring it over the new HS2 railway. To construct this structure, we will be required to:
- Carry out multiple utility diversions and connection works
- Realign the current road
- Construct the overbridge
- Construct the retaining walls and embankments
Where possible, we will construct elements of the overbridge offline, meaning we will be working off-site and away from the public to reduce the impacts on local people.
Traffic Management
We are planning to complete our work in four phases. There may be a requirement for short-term traffic management between the phases, which we will communicate in advance. The four phases of our work are as follows:
- Phase one: 11 September to 6 October 2023 full road closure
- Phase two: 6 November to 1 December 2023 full road closure
- Phase three: Summer 2024 to Spring 2025 road closure mitigation measures*
- Phase four: Spring 2025 14-month full closure
*Final details of this phase are subject to a future highway authority consent. We do not expect to need a full road closure in Summer 2024. We will share full details with communities as soon as possible.
We will only introduce the phase four closure after the A46 box push in early 2025 and we will fully reopen Dalehouse Lane after the road is realigned in summer 2026.
Public right of way in Stoneleigh - W171
W171 was stopped up as part of the HS2 Act. There is no immediate safe diversion available to local walkers.
Unfortunately, due to the construction and excavation in the area it is not possible to provide a link into Stoneleigh Park from the village. There are a number of other public right of ways in the area that can be utilised for circular leisure walks, but direct access to Stoneleigh Park is not possible.
There are a number of limited access points along permissive paths that can sometimes be used but are not part of the public right of way network and should not be relied upon to gain onward access. Please contact the relevant landowners as required.