A TEMPORARY crossing costing £700,000 could save Frodsham from months of traffic disruption during major repairs to an eyesore bridge.

Repairs are due to start on the Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge by June next year, which would see the rusting gateway to the town restored to its former glory.

But current plans to keep the bridge open to pedestrians and reduce traffic to a single lane during the ten months of repair have concerned business owners who fear the ‘crippling tailbacks’ would be ‘disastrous’ for the market town.

Now developers have revealed plans to build a temporary crossing which could keep traffic flowing, reduce the works by 11 weeks and shave money from the £4.5m project, as workers would be able to refurbish the rusting bridge unimpeded by traffic.

At a meeting held last week at Forest Hills Hotel, Frodsham, George Ballinger, senior engineer for the Canals and Rivers Trust (formerly British Waterways), revealed there was a “70% chance” that a second temporary bridge could be built to keep traffic flowing.

But Mr Ballinger told the 300 business owners it would be another two months before work was completed to determine whether a second crossing would be possible.

“Everyone, including me, has their fingers crossed,” said Cheshire West and Chester Councillor for Frodsham, Andrew Dawson, who organised the meeting, after CWaC announced it would give £3.5m towards funding long-awaited repairs.

Rob Crowther, whose Devonshire Bakery family business has been trading in the town for almost 40 years, said: “If we don’t get a Bailey Bridge it will be a complete disaster and goodbye to Frodsham.

“The bridge has to be done, but they’ve got us all very excited about the possibility of a temporary crossing, so I just hope they come up with the goods.

“If there’s a shortfall in funding, maybe local businesses could contribute, not that we should have to, but this is so important.”

Mr Crowther said traders had struggled through major road works in Frodsham earlier this year, which saw customers staying away from the town.

“The bridge works will go on for so much longer and it will be make or break for Frodsham,” he said.

“Sooner, rather than later, we need assurance that there will be no traffic disruption, because if people start avoiding Frodsham and get into the habit of going elsewhere, we won’t get them back.”