Government revealed plans yesterday in the House of Assembly to replace Longbird Bridge with a fixed-span overpass giving a clearance of between 30 and 40 feet to marine traffic. Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott also uncovered proposals to widen and straighten the Causeway in an effort to ensure "one of Bermuda's most vital lifelines'' remained open for years to come. Mr. Scott was discussing amended Government spending estimates for capital developments dating back to the previous United Bermuda Party administration. He said the estimate dealing with Longbird Bridge asked for $130,758 to help pay for work to replace an essential winch which helped the bridge close properly. And he described it as an "old, old'' bridge which had gone well past its 50-year lifespan. Mr. Scott said plans were to replace the swing bridge with a "non-opening'' fixed-span one which would allow "the maximum amount of marine traffic through'' by having a clearance of 30 to 40 feet. He told The Royal Gazette last night engineers were not in favour of replacing it with a new swinging bridge because "the more moving parts you Plans for fixed-span bridge And he said Government's plans were directed at improving the whole Causeway.

He explained that one proposal was to straighten the traffic corridor by widening it.

"There's been a lot of continual erosion on the Causeway's support structures and we aim to take measures to strengthen it.'' Mr. Scott also said the "gentle twists'' in the land bridge had been the cause of many accidents over the years.

"We're going to look into widening the thoroughfare and straighten it out either partially or completely.'' Asked about the estimated costs of the project, he stressed it was "far too early days'' to give any firm figures but added: "It will obviously be in the millions. We'll start at $15 million and see where we go from there.'' While Mr. Scott said plans for the changes were still "in their earliest stages'', he pointed to Watford Bridge in Sandys "to give some idea'' of what the end result might look like.

Shadow Works and Engineering Minister C.V. (Jim) Woolridge said he felt the public "needs to know that this lifeline of Bermuda will stay open''.

He said the importance of Longbird Bridge to the Island could not be emphasised enough and added: "It's one of those things that we never seem to realise just how vital it is until it's closed down.'' The United States Government has an obligation to replace the bridge as part of its promise to clean-up the former US Navy base lands.

But efforts to get America to honour its responsibility have, so far, been fruitless. Despite this, Mr. Scott told the House "every penny spent'' on the bridge had been recorded so that the US State Department would know how much it owed.

"We are in a strong position,'' he said. "The agreement is in place and it's just up to them to come to the moment when they honour their responsibilities.'' GOVERNMENT GVT