That's the opinion of SDLP leader Mark Durkan who visited Glengormley this week to hear for himself the problems caused by the plan to close the busy bridge for a year.
Speaking to exclusively to the Times, Mr Durkan said: "It is clear that the work that is needed here is going to cause considerable disruption and considerable hardship and therefore the department will need to go to every length they possibly can to try to mitigate that.
"They are going to have to look at all the engineering and financing options they can to reduce the disruption.
"If it happens that there is no way that any temporary facility is going to be able to accommodate people and if people are going to have to carry the cost of all the disruption and inconvenience I would be suggesting that local ratepayers should be given a significant concession on their rates."
He commented: "If an engineering and financing solution can't be used to provide a temporary means here then because of the scale of the impact on people there should at least be rates relief to compensate people for the fact that a significant rateable service and basic amenities are not available."
The Foyle MP, who was joined by local councillor Noreen McClelland and South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns, added: "Access for emergency services is a huge concern. Every means and every option is going to have to be looked at.
"Really, we need to hear from Roads Service and the Emergency Services as to what means of cover they are going to provide if the re-routing makes such a big difference to distances then they are going to have to provide some sort of temporary cover station ensure that access times are kept to a minimum."
The bridge re-opened earlier than planned on Wednesday night (Nov 21), after several weeks of closure. It will remain open until demolition work begins in February.
Conor Murphy, the Minister for the Department of Regional Development has vowed to report back to local political representatives in early January once they have reconsidered all the options open to them at the Hightown site. They have given a commitment to investigate the possibility of erecting a temporary bridge to maintain traffic flow on the road throughout the year-long closure.