Inside the tunnel at Long Itchington Wood.

HS2 in Warwickshire

The southern section of the new high-speed railway in Warwickshire features two viaducts near Radbourne before passing Southam and entering a tunnel beneath Long Itchington Wood.

The new high-speed rail network then crosses the River Itchen and the Oxford Canal before heading northwest past Bascote Heath, Offchurch, and Cubbington. A ‘green tunnel’ at Burton Green reduces the railway’s impact before it moves towards Interchange Station in Solihull.

Further north, the new high-speed rail network crosses the M6 and M42, entering the ‘Delta Junction’ near Water Orton. This triangular junction allows trains to travel between London, Birmingham, and the North.

Find out more about our works in the 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.

Find out more about HS2’s approach to traffic management.

The A46 is a major highway that connects Coventry, Kenilworth and Leamington Spa to the M40. We are constructing a box structure to take the new HS2 line under the A46 in Kenilworth, which is currently being built offline adjacent to the carriageway.

To facilitate the box push we need to complete some preparatory works. The preparatory work as well as the box push will be completed in four phases and includes:

Phase one: Vegetation clearance to provide access to working areas
Phase two: Installation of CCTV and temporary vehicle restraint systems to monitor and support traffic flows, widening embankments next to the highway as well as realigning highway drainage to prepare for work later in our programme
Phase three: Carriageway drainage works
Phase four: Box push of structure over the existing A46 carriageway

Find out more about the planned works on the A46 Kenilworth Bypass Box structure.

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

Provide feedback on the latest proposals

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.

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.

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