A key road connecting Aylesbury and Oxford reopened on Monday after a week-long closure for realignment over a new bridge on the HS2 route. The A418 overbridge, located slightly south of the existing road near Hartwell, spans 103 meters across a cutting that will carry HS2 rail services between London and the West Midlands.

This bridge, along with the recently completed A41 bridge, is one of two major road bridges opened by HS2 near Aylesbury in recent weeks, following a period of significant transport disruption for the local community. These bridges are part of the 500 bridging structures on the HS2 project, which include small footbridges, drainage culverts, innovative ‘green bridges’ for wildlife, and large viaducts like the record-breaking Colne Valley viaduct, now the longest of its kind in the UK.

The A418 overbridge was constructed using twenty-one U-shaped precast concrete beams to form its three spans, with the deck and wingwalls cast in situ. The road realignment covers a total length of 1.1 km, and during the construction, over 10 km of power cables, 9 km of telecoms cables, and 1.5 km of gas and water mains were installed.

Safety improvements include new drainage systems and a wider footpath and cycleway alongside the road. Although most of the work was completed without disrupting traffic, some closures were necessary for utility works and to safely connect the new alignment with the existing road. Throughout the closures, pedestrian access was maintained, and HS2 provided a free replacement bus service between the villages of Stone and Thame.

HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager, Ben Sebastian-Green said:

“The A41 and A418 are two of the most important roads into Aylesbury, so it’s great to have both bridges open to the public.”

 I’d like to thank everyone in our supply chain who worked so hard to complete this work – and of course the local community for their patience during the recent road closures that were required to safely deliver the project.”

Once complete, the HS2 project will improve journeys between London and the West Midlands while freeing up space on the existing West Coast Main Line for more freight and local services.

Both Aylesbury bridges have been delivered by HS2’s main works contractor, EKFB – a group made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall. The new A418 road surface over the bridge was laid over the weekend with traffic using the new alignment from 6am on Monday morning.

Photo: HS2