St. David's resident Guilden Gilbert probably wasn't the first person to come up with the idea of a bridge linking Kindley Field Road with Blue Hole Hill, but it has certainly been on his mind for some time - even more so since Hurricane Fabian caused serious damage to the Causeway three weeks ago.

For several years he has shared the idea of the bridge with anybody who would listen, including hosts of two television talk shows. And he is not alone in his thinking as a Royal Gazette poll yesterday showed that 83 percent of 3,667 respondents also feel a new bridge is the solution.

The Longbird Bridge has experienced operational problems for many years, often causing traffic pileups when stuck in the open position for marine traffic.

But what happened on September 5 when Hurricane Fabian hit the Island was unexpected...it wasn't the bridge itself that suffered damage but the Causeway linking it to Blue Hole Hill.

Works and Engineering staff are working around the clock to repair the damaged Causeway and restore two lanes of traffic in and out of St. George's. However suggestions as to how to tackle the long term problems with the bridge and Causeway continue to come forth.

Mr. Gilbert stands by his original recommendations which he has shared with former Works Minister Clarence Terceira and another member of the former Government, Erwin Adderley.

During two trips to the Bahamas in 1998 he saw something emerge that only served to harden his stance -a bridge linking Nassau to Paradise Island.

In March of that year he watched as work began on the bridge and by the time he returned in December the bridge was open to traffic. On each occasion Mr. Gilbert - who estimates he has visited the country about 14 times in the last 12 years - took pictures of the bridge, a massive structure 70 feet high. It is one of two bridges linking the two islands.

"That (12 years ago) was when I first spotted the old bridge," said Mr. Gilbert, a former Dockyard Apprentice.

"It wasn't until travelling to the Bahamas over 11 years ago and seeing the original bridge that I realised that was the type of bridge we could put in Bermuda. When I saw them build the second one I was even more interested in it because of the shortage of time they took to have it in place."

The two bridges are a short distance apart, one at the western end and the other the eastern end.

"Both of them have a height of approximately 70 feet from the bottom of the bridge to the water," said Mr. Gilbert.

"But I would not suggest a bridge in Bermuda should be at that height, but 40 feet would be a fairly good size to allow yachts to get under the bridge. In my opinion it should have at least a 40 to 45-foot height...and it can be done.

"The bridges in Nassau are well constructed. Somewhere at home I have information on the basic materials that were used on the first bridge and how much weight it could carry. I had all the particulars concerning the construction of the (old) bridge, I found out everything from their engineering department down there, but haven't been able to find it. Both of the bridges also have somewhere for pedestrians to walk on either side."

Mr. Gilbert feels, as many people do, that the "bridge has served its purpose" and needs to be replaced. He acknowledges it will be a costly undertaking to build such a bridge, but has no doubts the Island will be better served in the long run.

"We've got to think for the future," he urged.

"What they are doing now with the Causeway, in my opinion, is the best they can do because at least they are getting traffic across it. I think Government is doing a great job but it will just be 'fill-in'. The money will have to be borrowed, that's the only way we can do it."

Mr. Gilbert suggests one way to provide some of the funding for the bridge could be a toll, which the bridge in Nassau has. That isn't an idea that is likely to sit well with Bermudians, however.

"That (toll) would help but in the long run it probably won't bring in a lot because we don't have the volume of traffic going across," he said.

"But the volume of traffic that goes over to Paradise Island is enormous and it is only a dollar to go over and you don't pay anything to come back. Traffic goes over that bridge all day, every day, 24 hours a day in fact.

"They have several hotels there, many restaurants, they did have a small airport over there which they have now terminated and are building condominiums there.

"The biggest hotel there, of course, is Atlantis and it stands tall."

Recently another former United Bermuda Party Minister, Quinton Edness, also spoke on the need for a bridge.

"From my idea of it even (former Premier) Sir John Swan came out after me and brought up the idea," said Mr. Gilbert.

"I think I was the first and only one to state that the bridge should be built from Blue Hole Hill and go towards Stone Crusher Corner, but not quite so far and have a roundabout at the end of the bridge to allow the traffic to go around and come back to the airport.

"Of course the other traffic would go eastward to St. George's. It just depends on the height of the bridge and how they can work in the angle to come down towards Stone Crusher Corner.

"I'm so convinced it could be done and when I saw the Nassau bridges I thought it would be a good idea for what we've got. It is somewhere near the same distance."

Presently Watford Bridge in the west end is the Island's biggest bridge, but the proposed new bridge would be bigger.

"Nassau is very much like Bermuda," said Mr. Gilbert whose son, Guilden Jr, has been living there for the last six years.