Serious concerns were raised over how the Scottish Government plans to pay for a new Forth Road Bridge last night.
Opposition and business leaders said finances must be put in place if the bridge is to open on time.
The fears were expressed as legislation which will pave the way for the new bridge to be built was published yesterday.
Although construction of the £1.7billion to £2.3billion project is due to start in 2011, the Scottish Government and the Treasury have been at loggerheads over how it will be financed.
The SNP administration would like to borrow against future budgets and pay it back over 20 years. The Treasury has rejected this and offered £1billion. But this has been dismissed by the Scottish Government as a distraction.
Both sides are under increasing pressure to sort out their differences as the bridge is regarded as vital to the Scottish economy.
There is serious concern it will not be ready before weight restrictions are imposed on the old bridge or traffic is restricted due to repairs.
North-east MSP and Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: “The SNP needs to swallow its pride and work with the UK Government to sort this out.
“We must ensure that this bridge is done right.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: “The future of the new Forth crossing is absolutely vital to people in Fife, Perthshire and Angus and indeed for everyone in the east of Scotland.”
The Scottish Government has said the bulk of the money for the 1.7-mile crossing will be taken from the 2013 to 2016 budgets.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said the government was committed to delivering the bridge “on time and on budget”. “Scotland simply cannot afford any delay to the Forth replacement crossing,” he said.
“That is why we are taking the earliest possible action to prevent serious disruption to cross-Forth traffic arising from maintenance and repair works on the Forth Road Bridge.”
According to a recent poll, more than half of Scots believe the existing bridge should be repaired instead.
Environmentalists and Green MSPs claim Scotland cannot afford the new crossing and the existing bridge can be repaired for a fraction of the cost.
Lawrence Marshall, a former chairman of the Forth Estuary and Transport Authority and now chairman of the opposition group the ForthRight Alliance, said even if work to dry the corroding cables fails, new cables would cost between £91million and £122million.
He said: “It is our view that any ministerial decision to commit to an additional bridge costing the public purse up to £2.3billion would be premature.
“It would damage the prospects for other more pressing public spending priorities in Scotland.”
But Fife Chamber of Commerce chief executive Alan Russell said: “We believe that recent opposition to the proposal by the Green Party and others is nothing short of irresponsible politics and should not be allowed to cloud the decision process.”