BAGHDAD — Army Reserve Soldiers from the 401st Multi-Role Bridge Company of Oklahoma City, Okla., under the 844th Engineer Battalion, 194th Engineer Brigade, traveled 300 miles north to bridge the gap across the Tigris River near Hammam Al Alil.
While the Soldiers knew that a bridge was needed, they did not realize the importance of the bridge. Serving as a strategic link between the two shores, coalition patrols can traverse the crossing to save nearly four hours of travel time rather than using the nearest bypass route. Sgt. Brandon Weston, from Charleston, S.C., a squad leader from 2nd Bridge Platoon, 401st MRBC says, "We don't always know the reason; we just know that it's needed."
Soldiers from the 401st MRBC worked for several weeks leading up to the build conducting site preparation. Preparation consisted of a fifty foot cut in the river bank to create a manageable approach road that led to the water's edge and allowed for the staging of vehicles. The Soldiers also assisted in digging holes that would be used for the anchoring system and placed gravel along the shoreline to increase the stability of the slip.
The mission proved to be a difficult one from the start, and the 401st MRBC Soldiers had some major obstacles to overcome. Conditions on the Tigris River were less than ideal. Not only did the Soldiers have to combat the swift current of six to seven feet per second, but the constant flow of debris lodging in the boat's hydro jets caused them to lose power. However, the quick thinking and diligent work of the maintenance crew enabled the boats to function well enough to complete the mission.
The 401st MRBC bridged the gap using the Improved Ribbon Bridge. The IRB is a modular bridge with a roadway surface supported by a floating integral superstructure made of aluminum that functions as a pontoon. A complete ribbon bridge consists of a ramp bay at each bank and the required number of connected interior bays spanning between them. The IRB has a large roadway width that accommodates most vehicle traffic.
Completion of the bridge required over 100 Soldiers and more than 40 vehicles. Bridge crewmembers worked long hours. Once on site, crews immediately started to work, downloading boats in the water and preparing bays for launch. To complete the bridge, 21 interior bays and two ramp bays were used with a build time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. The bridge was open to military and civilian traffic by 1230 hours that afternoon. Pfc. Christopher Allen, a member of 5th Squad, 2nd Bridge Platoon, 401st MRBC, from River Falls, Wis., states, "It's a proud feeling when the bridge is complete and you see all the cars waiting to use our [the 401st MRBC] bridge."
To date, this is the biggest bridging mission the company has completed since arriving in Iraq in late spring. When asked about the completed mission, Weston states, "It was just another bridge. We put bridges in. That's what we do."
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2009 04:17 |
| Story ID: | 39813 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 735 |
| Downloads: | 619 |
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