There are set to be six weekend closure dates for HS2 works spanning two busy Midland motorways – with five dates confirmed
17:59, 18 May 2026Updated 18:26, 18 May 2026
Five big weekend closures on the M42 and M6 are confirmed and one more to be decided as HS2 works are stepped up and crossings put in place
Drivers have been warned of six impending Midland motorway closures.
All six are for HS2 rail works. The project was said to be about to “shift up a gear this summer” with more crossings over the M6 and M42.
In one operation, a twin box will be built above both carriageways of the M42 near Birmingham Business Park, near Junction 7, allowing the railway to be constructed over the top.
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Two single-track viaducts will be extended over the M42/M6 Toll near Water Orton, and a twin-track viaduct will be installed over the M6, near Chelmsley Wood.
The crossings and these will be put in place from June to November.
A view looking out over Birmingham city centre from the HS2 Curzon Viaduct 2 on January 14, 2026(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Junction closures will take place from 9pm on Fridays until 5am on Mondays.
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The first is set to take place with M42 overhead works on the evening of Friday, June 26, with the installation of the roof deck for the twin box.
The 300-metre-long structure will allow the high-speed line to be built over the M42. Once complete, vehicles will drive through the box, while trains travel above.
HS2 engineers installed a 130-metre long steel bridge over the Grand Union Canal
The roof deck will be constructed over four weekend closures, allowing engineers to install 175 individual beams, each weighing between 56 and 92-tonnes.
The giant beams, which have been manufactured off-site in Leicestershire, will be lifted into place using a 300-tonne crawler crane.
At the same time, engineers in nearby Water Orton will be preparing to extend two single-track viaducts that will carry high-speed trains into Birmingham Curzon Street and the rolling stock depot at Washwood Heath.
Already at 1,200 metres long, the team will use a different construction technique to build the remaining 135-metre sections of the Water Orton 1 and 2 viaducts that will bridge the gap between the piers either side of the motorway.
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Instead of continuing with the cantilever construction method, the viaducts will be prefabricated in sections near the carriageway.
They will be moved into position using self-propelled modular transporters and locked into place above the piers. That work will begin at 9pm on Friday, July 24 and on the weekend of Friday, August 14.
The old Curzon Street Station, Birmingham in 2024(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
HS2 said the final construction challenge was the installation of the M6 South Viaduct West, which required just one weekend motorway closure.
That weekend closure will start at 9pm on Friday, August 21.
There will be one final weekend closure in October or November at a date to be confirmed with the parapets installation for the Water Orton viaducts
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Agnes Usciak, HS2 Ltd’s senior project manager for the works, said: “The progress we’re making on the viaducts and structures next to the M6 and the M42 is already clear to see, and over the next six months, we’ll start bridging the gaps above the carriageways.
“It’s been a huge team effort to condense this vast programme of work into just six weekend closures, and I’d like to thank all our partners for their co-operation and support.
“Safety will always be our number one priority, which is why we need to divert traffic away from the carriageway while we conduct these vital works.”
HS2 Ltd said there was still a ‘vast amount of work to do across the 140-mile route’ between London and Birmingham.
Chief executive Mark Wild was said to be leading a “comprehensive reset” of the controversial project.
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HS2 Ltd said it was conscious the M6 and the M42 were popular commuter routes between Birmingham, Warwickshire and Solihull and transported millions of people to and from Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre.
It said it had worked with Birmingham Airport and the NEC Group to plan for the works, ‘recognising the potential impact this poses to their customers’.
HS2 and its contractor BBV will host a series of community events, in conjunction with National Highways, to ‘ensure residents, businesses, and commuters are aware of the planned closure dates and the approved diversion routes that will be put in place’.
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Ian Doust, National Highways’ head of network planning and development, said: “A key priority for us is minimising disruption for those who use our roads so we welcome the measures being taken by HS2 and their partners to reduce the impact of this huge infrastructure project on road users.
“We recognise there will, inevitably, be some disruption during these weekend closures so we would advise people to leave extra time for journeys and take alternative routes if at all possible.”
The five confirmed weekend closure dates in full:
- From 9pm on Friday, 26 June to 5am on Monday, 29 June — Installation of the first set of beams for the M42 twin box structure.
- From 9pm on Friday, 24 July to 5am on Monday, 27 July — Installation of the Water Orton viaducts over the motorway, alongside continued beam installation for the M42 twin box.
- From 9pm on Friday, 14 August to 5am on Monday, 17 August — Continued Water Orton viaduct and M42 twin box beam installation.
- From 9pm on Friday, 21 August to 9am on Monday, 24 August — The M6 South Viaduct West deck slide
- From 9pm on Friday, 18 September to 5am on Monday, 21 September — Continued Water Orton viaduct installation and final beam installation works for the M42 twin box.
- October/November (date TBC) — Parapets installation for the Water Orton viaducts.