19/10/2026
National Highways - A40 Over Bridge Refurbishment - October 2026 Progress Update
Please find below National Highways progress update for A40 Over Deck for work prior to the traffic switch on Monday evening.
A40 Over Bridge Refurbishment - October 2026 Progress Update
At a Glance
✅ Waterproofing removal completed across the eastbound bridge deck.
✅ More than 50 bridge deck repairs completed.
✅ Repairs to the underside of the bridge completed.
✅ New waterproofing system installed across the bridge deck.
Throughout September, our teams continued to make good progress on the refurbishment of A40 Over Bridge, with work taking place both above and below the bridge deck.
A key milestone was the completion of waterproofing removal across the eastbound carriageway, allowing engineers to fully expose the bridge deck and carry out detailed inspections.
These inspections identified areas requiring additional repair, particularly around the deck ends and expansion joints, where the condition was poorer than originally anticipated.
More than 50 concrete repairs were completed across the bridge deck, alongside further repairs at the bridge abutments and deck ends. While this increased the scope of work in some locations, carrying out these repairs now will help extend the life of the structure and reduce the need for more significant interventions in the future.
With repairs substantially complete, the team progressed to installing the new waterproofing system. This protective layer prevents water and de-icing salts from penetrating the structure and will help safeguard the bridge for many years to come.
By the end of the month, waterproofing installation was substantially complete across the eastbound carriageway.
Working Beneath the Bridge
During September, specialist repair teams completed concrete repairs to the underside of the bridge using the underslung scaffold platform installed during the previous phase of the project.
With these repairs complete, work began to remove the scaffold in preparation for its reinstallation on the westbound side of the bridge, where it will be used to support the next phase of repairs.
Traffic Management Update
The single-lane contraflow remained in place throughout September, enabling repairs to continue safely while maintaining traffic movements across the bridge.
To help improve traffic flow, additional "Use Both Lanes" signage was installed on the eastbound carriageway at Highnam Roundabout, encouraging road users to make full use of the available carriageway and to help reduce queuing on the roundabout.
On 30 September, we also trialled temporary traffic signals at Over Roundabout to assess whether they could improve traffic flow and reduce congestion on the local road network during the weekday evening peak period. Traffic conditions were closely monitored throughout the trial and reviewed by the project team. Following an assessment on 1 October it was concluded that the signals would be removed.
While we appreciate this may be disappointing for some road users, the trial provided valuable evidence that temporary traffic signals are not an effective solution for reducing congestion at this location.
We would like to thank road users for their continued patience and understanding while these essential improvements are carried out.
October
During October, the focus has shifted towards rebuilding and resurfacing the eastbound side of the bridge in preparation for moving traffic onto the refurbished carriageway.
Planned activities include:
Removing the underslung scaffold platform.
Installing new kerbing in the central reserve and verge areas.
Reconstructing the central reserve and verge sections.
Resurfacing the carriageway, footway and verge areas.
Installing safety barriers and parapet mesh.
Switching traffic onto the refurbished eastbound carriageway.
Commencing investigations and waterproofing removal on the westbound side of the bridge.
The forthcoming traffic switch will mark another significant milestone for the project and allow repair works to commence on the westbound carriageway from 20 October 2026. To facilitate this the A40 will be closed overnight on 19 October 2026.
