The level crossing where Owen Street crossed the West Coast Main Line railway adjacent to Tipton Station, near Birmingham was closed to highway vehicles for typically 45 minutes in every hour, causing serious delays, stifling local prosperity and causing economic decline.
To alleviate this problem a new road was contructed passing beneath the railway. It required off-line construction of a 5,500 tonne, 54m long concrete box structure that was pushed forwards 60m into place beneath the railway during Easter 2009.
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Timelapse video – 33-hour Tipton Box Jack over Easter 2009
Halcrow designed the works as part of a design and build contract with BAM Nuttall. The box straddles a geological fault, and the post-industrial nature of the site meant that old mine workings, a canal basin, and bridge abutments had to be dealt with, as well as major utilities.
The excavated material was used above a former landfill site, which provided the local community with football pitches and a multi-user games area. This avoided 25,000 vehicle miles saving 13 tonnes of CO2.