PROJECTS & SECTORS / A38 GLOUCESTER ROAD
SPECIALIST ENGINEERING. PRACTICAL DELIVERY.
A38 Gloucester
Road Flyover.
24 replacement bearings.
Designed, manufactured and installed by EKSPAN.
LOCATION
Bristol
REPLACEMENT BEARINGS
18 rocker · 6 spherical
COMPLETED
December 2025
EKSPAN’S ROLE
Design, manufacture & installation
EXISTING STRUCTURE. SPECIALIST INTERVENTION.
Replacing bearings.
Managing the
support beneath.
EKSPAN designed, manufactured and installed 24 replacement bearings at the A38 Gloucester Road Flyover in Bristol.
The replacement comprised nine rocker bearings at each abutment and three spherical bearings at each of the north and south pier locations. Temporary support, hydraulic jacking and associated concrete repairs connected the bearing work with the existing structure.
Completed in December 2025, EKSPAN’s bearing replacement package formed part of the wider refurbishment scheme.
Explore our manufacturingTEMPORARY WORKS. PERMANENT SUPPORT.
Support through
every stage.
Installing the pier props was a key challenge.
Access, support and bearing replacement brought together.
01
Temporary propping at the piers
Installing the temporary props at the pier locations was a key challenge identified by the project team. The arrangements were positioned around the existing concrete piers beneath the flyover deck.
02
Concrete repairs & preparation
The documented repair approach included local concrete breakout, preparation of exposed reinforcement, concrete reinstatement and bearing grouting. These interfaces connected the replacement bearings with the existing structure.
DESIGNED. MANUFACTURED. INSTALLED.
24 bearings.
One coordinated
replacement package.
EKSPAN’s replacement package covered 18 rocker bearings at the abutments and six spherical bearings at the piers. Existing upper tapped holes were reused to connect the new bearings.
01
18 rocker bearings
North abutment: 9 rocker bearings.
South abutment: 9 rocker bearings.
02
6 spherical bearings
North piers: 3 spherical bearings.
South piers: 3 spherical bearings.
03
Connecting to the existing structure
Existing upper tapped holes reused to connect the replacement bearings.
ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE. PRACTICAL DELIVERY.
From bearing design
to site installation.
18 rocker bearings. 6 spherical bearings.
Temporary propping, hydraulic jacking and controlled load transfer.
Completed in December 2025.
A CLOSER LOOK
The work.
In focus.
Real project photography.
Select an image to explore the detail.
Photographs show different locations and stages of the works, rather than a continuous construction sequence.
MORE ENGINEERING IN PRACTICE
A different structure.
The same practical approach.
LET’S START WITH YOUR PROJECT
Planning a bearing
replacement project?
Bearing replacement, temporary works and associated structural repairs.
Talk it through with the EKSPAN team.