HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)- Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd said Friday that he and Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank are working on a plan to help the U.S. auto industry survive until the spring, when the Obama administration can tackle the industry’s financial crisis.

Dodd said he and Frank hope to have the “bridge plan” ready for Congress to consider when members go back to work on Dec. 8.

Dodd, who spent part of Friday hearing from Connecticut residents employed in the industry, said President-elect Obama must become more engaged in finding a solution to Detroit’s problems.

“We cannot lose the automobile industry,” said Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee chairman. “That would be the end of manufacturing in America.”

Top executives of General Motors Corp., Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. went to Washington this week seeking roughly $25 billion but ran into so much opposition that Congress delayed voting on the bailout until the automakers prove they can be viable.

They must submit a plan to Congress by Dec. 2, followed by more hearings before any vote is taken.

Dodd said he’s not sure that $25 billion is the right amount to loan the automakers and is waiting to hear the industry’s plan for using the money. He said he won’t vote to give the automakers a check without some conditions.

GM has said it could go under before year’s end, and Chrysler might not be far behind. Ford has said it can survive through 2009, but it’s unclear how much longer – and if even one company were to collapse, it could cause a cascade and devastate the rest.

Ken Crowley, who owns several Connecticut dealerships, told Dodd there would be a large ripple effect if the U.S. auto industry collapses.

Crowley noted that he employs 328 people and his dealerships paid over $33 million in state sales and income taxes last year.