A NEW investigation has kicked off to see if Worcester's notorious Carrington Bridge can be dualled, it has emerged.

Your Worcester News can reveal how Worcestershire County Council has started fresh "exploration work" to see if the A4440 bridge can be doubled in size to ease congestion.

It follows a failed £63 million bid to the Government earlier this year, which was overlooked by ministers.

Back in July Worcestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) was promised £47 million by the Government to improve the economy between now and 2020, but the award did not include anything towards Carrington Bridge.

It means despite the council currently working on a four-year plan to dual the rest of the A4440 Southern Link Road, it does not yet have the funds to look at the actual bridge.

The Government did award the LEP £12 million towards the rest of the Southern Link Road, and hopes are high that some more cash towards Carrington Bridge might be forthcoming in future funding announcements.

The new exploration work is aimed at finding fresh avenues of possible money, which could include private investors or developers looking to build homes in south Worcestershire.

It will also include a fresh examination of the costs, and include options for further road improvements into Powick.

It comes as the deputy leader of Worcester City Council, Councillor Marc Bayliss, urged County Hall's cabinet to "complete the job" by getting the bridge dualled.

Cllr Bayliss, who represents St Peter's at the county council, said: "My residents are delighted about the money for the Southern Link Road, I really welcome it.

"But I'd ask them to lobby the Government to ensure we can complete the job and dual that Carrington Bridge."

The county council's work on the A4440 has been split into three phases, with an £8 million Ketch island revamp currently ongoing until April 2015.

When that finishes, a year's delay is scheduled before work starts on dualling the section up towards Norton roundabout and finally Whittington island by mid-2018.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, county council deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "We are starting exploration work on phase four right now (Carrington Bridge), which is very important.

"It will allow us to make new bids for money for that stretch from the Ketch island to Powick, which is what everyone wants to see."

The bridge was built in 1984 and since the 1990s it has caused drivers misery, with many critics saying it is not fit-for-purpose.

If the £63 million Carrington Bridge bid had proved successful in the summer, at the time the county council pledged to throw £7 million into the kitty to create a £70 million fund to dual it.