The recent shocking collapse of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, which left thousands stranded and severe losses to especially farmers and businesses,Cheap NBA Jerseys China, should be a wake-up call for government to immediately re-prioritise its projects.And, according to the main Parliamentary Opposition, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU),Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, finding the money should be simple – go to the same source where monies were found for the planned Marriott Hotel, the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project and the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.The calls have been increasing for a new bridge across the Demerara Harbour Bridge.At around 07:00 hrs on July 23, a temporary pontoon at the westernmost end of the bridge sank after it broke loose from its connections causing the structure to buckle at its linkages.A minibus filled with passengers headed for Georgetown was barely steered from rolling backwards into the waters that covered the spans.The bridge was closed for three days…three days in which the country’s vulnerabilities regarding the uses of that critical link were glaringly exposed.The bridge is the main link between West Demerara and Essequibo to the city, airport and eastern section of the country. Thousands of persons, including farmers and city workers live in the West Demerara area.Not only was the decision to abandon and allow the Vreed-en-Hoop and Georgetown Stellings to fall into disrepair rued during those three days, but the bridge’s closure struck home the hard reality that an alternative will have to be found sooner than later.Police were called out to control the confusion at the Vreed-en-Hoop speedboat stelling and hundreds of workers were forced to use that as a means to get to work or to conduct urgent business.Government was forced to allow speedboats to work through the night as bridge workers toiled to bring the aging structure back into operation.Top priorityAccording to APNU’s Parliamentarian charged with Pubic Works,Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping, Joe Harmon, building a new, modern bridge should immediately be placed at the top of the government’s agenda as far as infrastructural projects are concerned.He noted that while Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn, had signaled that there will not be an inquiry into the collapse, the very operations there call for one. Specific mention was made into the mysterious theft of a maintenance pontoon several weeks ago,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, which was taken away in the dead of the night and later found partially submerged in the Mahaica River. No one has been held accountable for that.“There were man-hours lost, produce lost and generally serious losses to commerce,” Harmon pointed out.“APNU is considering now an inquiry into not only the bridge failure, but of other bridges, roads and sea defences. Why are they failing us? We were at Kumaka (Mabaruma) Region One, and people have described works on a revetment on the waterfront there as a travesty, with people even questioning whether government knew what it is doing. These are issues that affect people’s lives.”Harmon noted a case earlier this year in which a teenager was killed after a car he was in struck a bad spot on Cemetery Road, and the vehicle ended up in a trench.APNU Parliamentarian Joseph Harmon“I think it is time the bridge be replaced, it is too important an artery for us, providing a crucial link between East and West Demerara and Essequibo. I am aware of some preliminary work done for a modern bridge by a company and that is at the Public Works.”The Parliamentarian recalled reports where former President Bharrat Jagdeo had made a surprise inspection of the bridge and after finding it in a bad state, ordered the release of hundreds of millions of dollars for the replacement of aging deck plates.“Now they’re spending and spending money like crazy. I have seen some estimates for works by contractors and it is a lot of money. When the bridge collapsed, the state-owned NCN blamed it on a vehicle accident. The first inclination by the government is to cover things up. But people were on the bridge and know different.”According to the APNU official, a modern Guyana must take into account a new bridge across the river.Not Marriott Hotel“Some people are afraid to even drive on it now. To me, it is a more urgent development and should take priority over a Marriott Hotel. This (new bridge) is what the people need, not a Marriott Hotel. That is not an urgent priority…it is not a luxury…people’s lives don’t depend on it.”Harmon insisted that the same energy government uses to search for investors in other projects – the same energy should be utilised in finding the funding for a new bridge.“Even though they (the