THE public inquiry into proposals for a second bridge across the River Mersey ended yesterday, with supporters saying the £431m plan was “top priority”.
A decision on the Mersey Gateway Project, which would link Runcorn and Widnes, will be made early next year.
If plans for the toll bridge are successful, it is hoped to be completed by 2014.
The aim is to reduce congestion in the area and create more than 4,500 new jobs, according to Halton Borough Council.
Council representatives said that the plans are “a unique opportunity to transform the borough and help secure the future economic prosperity of the north west of England”.
The main phase of the inquiry, which was expected to last up to 10 weeks, concluded after less than six weeks as a number of objectors withdrew their reservations, while others chose not to have their case cross-examined in public.
But, in yesterday’s summing-up, critics accused the council of spin.
Lillian Burns, of the North West Transport Roundtable and Friends of the Earth, voiced concerns over the environment and public health.
She said last-minute changes to the plans worked against the council’s main objectives.
She said: “This is not a robust project, it’s an elaborately spun web which does not hang together and falls apart on close inspection.”
