BRIDGES on the A38 in Berkeley are set to receive surprise funding so much-needed repair work can take place in 2016.

As well as the "Growth Package" of £60million awarded to Gloucestershire by Central Government this week, a number of other projects have been given provisional funds for future years.

One of them is the railway bridges in Berkeley which has been awarded £1.9million, with the hope the repairs can reduce travelling times on the busy A38.

In April it was announced that the weakened bridges had missed out on funding, with three other projects in the region getting the go-ahead instead.

The Gloucestershire Local Transport Board (GLTB) re-distributed the £3.3 million of Central Government funding to corridor improvements in Abbeymead, Cheltenham Spa railway station and the Gloucester Central Transport Hub.

The Berkeley project is estimated to cost between £2 and £5 million.

A 30mph speed limit has been imposed on the bridge carrying northbound traffic towards Gloucester since October.

Traffic is required to slow down on the busy section of the A38 over the bridge which has been found to be weak although not in immediate risk of failure.

The weakness was first flagged up by Gloucestershire Highways in early 2012 and the speed restriction aims to reduce the pressure on the structure until the bridge is replaced.