Dear Editor,
I grew up in La Grange village and have been using the Demerara Harbour bridge from my early childhood. In those days my cousin and I used to sit on the bridge counting the cars, buses and trucks as they went by. Those days were the late ’70s and early ’80s and only a few vehicles passed by each minute. Sometimes minutes would pass without a vehicle being counted. Today it’s different with the large increase in the volume of traffic. Back in those days I can’t recall the bridge being broken or being closed for maintenance.
I believe that with the recent mishap the time for a strong, new, state-of-the-art bridge is now necessary, regardless of the cost. Our neighbour Suriname has bridged the Suriname River at Paramaribo with a very strong and beautiful bridge that even serves as a tourist attraction. For too long we have been patching up our old girl, who has served us so well throughout the years. She now longs for retirement but yet we are forcing her to stay on. My prayerful hope is that in a few weeks there will be news on the proposal and study for a new bridge. We don’t have to wait for another mishap to further cause the great inconvenience we are currently experiencing. The time for a new bridge is definitely now.
Yours faithfully,
Quado Vancooten
