The government has contributed £4.37 million to a new transport project in Derby, which will improve access to the city centre in the long term.

A substandard bridge that carries the A6 London Road over the Derby to Birmingham railway will be replaced and transport chiefs hope this will pave the way for new developments in the future.

Weight restrictions that are currently in place will be lifted once the bridge is finished.

The upgrade will cost £6.8 million in total and this is one of a number of schemes that was given funding approval in 2011 as part of the spending review process. Work is set to start in May and the new bridge should be in operation by September 2014.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "The £4.4 million we are putting into this project shows that the government is serious about investing in the infrastructure the country needs to drive economic growth."

Last year, the government conducted a consultation to see how funding for regional transport projects - such as the one in Derby - could be handed over to local authorities.