A Stormont department spent almost a quarter-of-a-million pounds on a review of the stalled York Street Interchange scheme.
It brings the overall amount spent on the long-delayed road project in North Belfast to around £23million without a single sod being cut.
DUP MLA Phillip Brett hit out at former Sinn Fein and SDLP ministers who have overseen the project, claiming that time and public money has been "squandered".
Read more: Council withdraws support for York Street Interchange congestion scheme
But Sinn Fein and the SDLP hit back, criticising the DUP for blocking the restoration of devolved government in protest against Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.
The road scheme is aimed at addressing a major traffic bottleneck between the Westlink, M2 and M3 - three of Northern Ireland's busiest roads.
Public inquiries into the plans were held back in 2015, but work was held up following a legal challenge to the tendering process.
An external review of the project was set up in 2020 by then SDLP Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon and the following year she commissioned another review to consider "place-making and active travel" within the plans.
It was published in October by her successor, Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd, and outlined several options with further consultation to be completed by "early 2023" to "inform the next steps".
The project, which is estimated to cost around £165million, was included in the New Decade New Approach Agreement which restored Stormont power-sharing in 2020.
Securing funding was also part of the DUP's confidence-and-supply agreement in 2017 which propped up former Prime Minister Theresa May's minority Conservative government.
More than £230,000 was spent on the Placemaking and Active Travel Review, the Department for Infrastructure said in response to an Assembly question from Mr Brett.
The North Belfast MLA said Sinn Fein and SDLP ministers had "wasted" public money "without putting a single spade in the ground".
He said the latest review "squandered" not just public money "but valuable time, with its recommendations serving only to delay this project even further".
Mr Brett added: "The York Street Interchange is a flagship project, that will have a transformative impact upon our economy in both the short and long term.
"Those parties who have presided over the delay to this project have serious questions to answer.
"The DUP will continue to press for the commencement of this project, which will benefit the entire region."
Mr O'Dowd was appointed as caretaker Infrastructure Minister in the absence of a new Stormont Executive after the SDLP's Ms Mallon lost her MLA seat in May's election.
But ministers ceased to hold office last week after a deadline passed to restore the power-sharing institutions.
Sinn Fein said it would "take no lectures" from the DUP which "blocked an Executive being formed during a cost-of-living crisis".
A party spokesman added: "During his short time as caretaker infrastructure minister, John O'Dowd moved quickly to publish the report when it landed on his desk to allow for debate and public consultation and to bring it to the next stage as quickly as possible."
SDLP councillor Carl Whyte said Ms Mallon "made significant progress in dealing with the outstanding issues" with the project "so that work could begin as soon as possible".
He added: "There is no doubt that this project will be transformational for Belfast and has been beset with a number of unfortunate delays, but hot air from the DUP won't get it built any faster."
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