A FIFE village could be inundated with traffic once again if plans to close the Kincardine Bridge for refurbishment go ahead, a Labour MSP has warned.

The old bridge, which opened in 1936, is due to be shut next spring once the new bridge at Kincardine is opened later this year.

However Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP John Park has warned full closure will lead to traffic chaos on roads in and around Kincardine.

The village suffered for years with one of the highest pollution counts in Scotland until the bypass opened in 2004, linking the original bridge with the A985 Rosyth road.

Mr Park, who has secured a members’ debate in the Scottish Parliament for later today, said he hoped the Government took heed.

“For the period the existing bridge is being refurbished you are obviously going to have a lot of traffic coming off the A985 and going to have to go through Kincardine to get to the Upper Forth Crossing,” he said yesterday.

“Currently it goes down the bypass that was opened in 2004 and on to the old bridge.

“What’s going to happen now is that traffic will have to come through the village and up to the Upper Forth Crossing.”

He said a major concern was that drivers would look for alternative routes in a bid to avoid any congestion. Roads like the A907, which runs between Dunfermline and Kincardine and takes in villages such as Carnock, could become blocked.

“The fear is that the A907 will become an attractive road for people,” Mr Park added. “That road really is not used to that volume of traffic going through it.”

He insisted the situation would be even worse when high-sided vehicles are barred from using the Forth Road Bridge in high winds.

On January 9 the crossing was shut for several hours when part of a painting gantry came loose.

On January 31 an HGV heading for Fife was knocked on to the central reservation, and on March 12 another lorry was blown over by a freak gust.

The northbound carriageway was also closed on April 18 when a van carrying chemicals hit a barrier on the Fife side of the bridge and ended up blocking the dual carriageway.

All four incidents caused gridlock around Kincardine.

Mr Park’s motion, laid earlier this year, highlights the potential impact on villages in west Fife of closing the Kincardine Bridge while it is refurbished.

“With traffic increasingly being diverted from the Forth Bridge to the Kincardine Bridge it is important to highlight the implications for the people of Kincardine and the west Fife villages that occupy the main routes to between the bridges with only the Upper Forth Crossing operational,” he said.

“The main reason for the debate is to make sure the Scottish Government are looking at solutions, maybe not full closure...

“We need to make sure traffic is diverted or encouraged to go along certain routes at certain times.”

A spokesman for the Government agency Transport Scotland insisted full closure of the Kincardine Bridge would take place.

“Necessary refurbishment works on the existing Kincardine Bridge are scheduled to begin in late spring next year and will require the bridge to be closed for a period of 12 months,” he said.

“We are currently undertaking consultations with our local operating company BEAR, the relevant local authorities and the police regarding the diversion route that will be in place while the bridge is closed.

“This route will be publicised in advance of the closure on the Traffic Scotland website and in the press.

“During the closure the diversion route will be signed on the trunk road network using normal diversion signs, while information will also be displayed on roadside variable message signs.”