Bermuda is "lucky" Hurricane Igor was mild and the East End of the Island was not cut off from the mainland for days, according to the United Bermuda Party.

Senator Jeanne Atherden questioned why the Government did not learn from the "lesson" of Hurricane Fabian seven years ago, when St. George's and St. David's were cut off from the rest of Bermuda for days after the storm. The bridge was damaged during the hurricane in 2003; it took four days for a temporary fix to be put in place.

Sen. Atherden said: "Bermudians have to ask why the PLP Government continues year after year to neglect the Causeway and the East End.

"The Government has never been seriously committed to modernising the Causeway. It did not apply the $11 million base closure settlement with the Americans, even though the deal earmarked the money for Longbird Bridge.

"Its $1.5 million post-Fabian study — completed in 2006 — recommended new crossings as well as repairs and upgrades to the existing Causeway.

"But today, all we've got to show for it is a temporary bridge, reports gathering dust on the bookshelves of the Works Minister's office and no change in the physical structure or traffic flow."

The Royal Gazette asked the Government for an update on the Causeway refurbishment, also known as the New Crossing development, on Tuesday and yesterday. No update was provided.

Earlier this year, during the Budget, Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess announced the Government was awaiting the final feasibility report but that $2.3 million out of a total authorised spending on the capital project of $65.3m had already been spent.

He said: "The final feasibility report on the Causeway refurbishment or New Crossing project will be submitted to the Ministry of Works and Engineering shortly.

"The Environmental Impact Assessment is complete and currently under review and the detailed geotechnical investigation work is scheduled for completion in 2010.

"The Ministry of Works and Engineering, in association with KPMG, is currently considering the suitability of Public Private Partnering (PPP) as compared to traditional methods of procuring the New Crossing, Castle Harbour project.

"The PPP mode of funding is deemed suitable for major Government projects because of the magnitude of funding required and the relatively large number of significant projects that are planned."

A public-private partnership is a form of financing major government developments. It merges developers and investors, contractors and other service providers to finance, create and operate public assets such as highways, hospitals, schools and power plants through long-term contracts.

Yesterday, Sen. Atherden said: "What Bermuda needs is a safe crossing, such as those in the Florida Keys, which is high enough above the water so neither it nor emergency vehicles are likely to be damaged by hurricane-driven waves.

"The Government has been treading water on the Causeway. They've treated the people of St. George's and St. David's like orphans while wasting millions of dollars in overspends on other large capital projects.

"It is time for the Government to get serious about the Causeway. As a country, we need to address the most critical infrastructure challenges instead of crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. All of us depend on the Causeway. The Government has to get its priorities in order, commit to a safer more durable crossing and do something."