Road repairs pave way to economic development

Photo By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky | Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., walk on a newly-paved road south of Baghdad, Dec. 7. The asphalt will help keep down dust and keep the roads open even during the rainy winter season.  

ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ

12.14.2007

Story by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – The road to economic prosperity south of Baghdad is being paved by Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

With assistance from the 2nd BCT embedded provincial reconstruction team, local government councils and Iraqi contractors, the task of restoring roads and improving roads damaged by war is in full swing.

"It's all about ... helping the agricultural market in our area," said Capt. Brian Love, ePRT military liason.

The area, comprised of Arab Jabour, Hawr Rajab, Al Buaytha and Adwaniyah, is mainly agriculturally-based. The improvements, which began in October, will help farmers move their goods quickly to more markets.

"It opens up these rural communities to the main highway to Baghdad," said 1st Lt. Nicholas Turner, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Troops Battalion, ePRT road repair specialist.

Currently the brigade is focusing on routes between the communities, including those that link Al Buaytha to Arab Jabour and routes from Hawr Rajab to Baghdad.

The brigade has five projects in the works, with another three set to begin in January, said Turner, a Tulsa, Okla., native. On average, contractors are given 60 days to complete the work.

The priority of what roads to work on first was based on input from local councils, Love said. The councils, designed to help govern the local area and meet the needs of the people, chose the roads due to the impact they have on the local economy.

The decision as to what roads get asphalted is determined by the amount of traffic on each road, Love explained.

Even for roads that do not get paved, some repairs will be made. Improvements will include filling in craters created by improvised explosive devices and covering the roads with gravel. Not only will the gravel reduce dust, but with the rainy season approaching it will help reduce traffic-hindering mud, Love said.

The goal of the road improvement project is to create financial stability in the region by increasing market size and the quality of goods.

"When you open up these roads you give these people a chance to be economically successful," Turner said. "We want the roads to last long term."

Before the arrival of the 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., the area was dangerous and people were unable to move around, Turner said.

It is the brigade's hope that the road repairs will be another step on the path to normalcy for the Iraqi people. "This is important because it helps people return to a normal kind of life," Turner said.

• Date Taken: 12.14.2007
• Date Posted: 12.14.2007 19:43
• Story ID: 14727
• Location: ISKANDARIYAH, IQ