Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter in the Stabroek News of April 29 captioned ‘Still a high cost for a bridge.’
As a refresher to those who have been following this soap opera while the number of crossings for the Demerara bridge has risen from 2000/day to 5500/day to 9000/day the cost per crossing jumped around from $8,600 to $31,000 and now to $1900.
Not that I agree with $1900. As I have always maintained the cost will be determined by a transport economist, however my gut feeling is it will be a lot lower.
Now to the third point, that is if the bridge can be built in reinforced concrete. I quote Mr Alli.
“Mr Gonsalves who admitted he has no experience in bridge design still insists that this bridge can be built in reinforced concrete, particularly the span of 330ft.”
Now I will quote from my last letter:
“I will again leave it to a structural engineer to comment on the possibility of spanning the river with a concrete structure. My gut feeling, however is he is as far off the mark on this point as he is on vehicle numbers and a toll of US$155 for a car to cross the bridge.”
He is wrong again. Who me insist? No man, is a gut feeling I got. He twists my words like barbed wire. He should have been a politician and not an engineer. In my book insist is not equivalent to a gut feeling.
As I said a structural engineer is welcome to comment on this point.
Yours faithfully,
Edward Gonsalves
