I SUPPORT the call for the construction of a new bridge across the Demerara River, as reported in the Guyana Chronicle in the Monday January 7th, 2013 edition under the banner headline, ‘Feasibility study of new Demerara River Bridge completed  – best site close to existing bridge; design soon to be unveiled’. This is not the first time I am penning my grave concern in relation to ‘Hydrological Engineering’ in Guyana, namely: revetment and land reclamation, integral sea and river defences, combatting flood crisis, drainage and irrigation, et cetera.
As a foreign-based individual being considered to be a potential Guyanese in the Diaspora, I would like once more to submit my opinion and to propose a lending hand of my services and assistance on such a meaningful project.
Thus, as a retired, Dutch-trained, -qualified, -oriented professional, with more than 20 years of experience in hydrological engineering, here in the Netherlands, I would like firstly to propose and to necessitate the availability of that which is of vital importance on such a relevant subject/project.

My opinions and advice are on the following:
1: That the existing Demerara Harbour Bridge, be maintained on its present geographical location and sustained  on its present hydrological position;
2: That we beneficially make use of the present/current -floating “surfaced bridge bed-ridge”, on the existing floating pontoon systems;
3: That we totally remove the suspended floating buoys and the anchors that are firmly sitting on the river beds;
4: That we replace the anchor buoys, with galvanised-steel piling on the head of each pontoon, which would be solidly piled/ducked into the river-bed and surfaced about five metres overhead above the “existing/surfaced bridge bed-ridge” and supported above-across, with Xs.
The same systems that were used at the Berbice Harbour Bridge, only that the floating and flexible pontoons would be attached with “ball-cup bearings” of 35-45cm in diameter, attached to the perpendicular galvanised-steel piling, which would be stationary, while being cupped around with galvanised-steel tubes at a length of three metres.
Such a project would be very much economical, in constructing and maintaining on a long-term basis and most of all, siltation in the river would be eliminated by the feasible-tidal and torrential-current flows.