200m porous portal for HS2’s Burton Green Tunnel completed

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The portal is the southern entrance to the 700m modular green tunnel which is going to carry HS2 trains through Burton Green. Once the tunnel is built, it will be covered with trees and plants.

More than 160 roof segments have been installed as part of the 200m long concrete porous portal, with each segment weighing over 20t.

The porous portal features a series of vents in the roof, which reduce noise from HS2 trains leaving and entering the tunnel.

Balfour Beatty Vinci senior project manager Rupert Blake said: “We’re making great progress with the construction of the Burton Green Tunnel, with the south portal now complete.”

“The next phase of construction will be the section of the tunnel to the north, where a cutting is being excavated, diaphragm walls built, a concrete roof put on, before soil is backfilled over the top ready for planting,” Blake said.

“A key feature is the realignment of the Kenilworth Greenway, which will follow the route of the tunnel and have large-scale planting around it. It will also provide connectivity to existing footpaths which will run across the top of the tunnel, providing green spaces for the local community to enjoy.”

The Burton Green Tunnel is one of five modular structures being built as part of the HS2 rollout. The tunnels are “a first” in the UK, featuring a twin arch “M” shape which requires less concrete than the standard box structure.

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