Grand Canal upgrades ease traffic flow in Taji - MND-B, IA Soldiers quickly fix road to decrease Iraqi traffic woes

Photo By 1st Lt. Janeene Yarber | After twelve hours of steady work, the sun rises over the newly completed canal bridge bypass. With jersey barriers emplaced on the side of the road, three Soldiers from the 46th Engineer Combat Battalion Soldiers, serving with the 926th Engineer Brigade, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, ground guide a smooth roller operator as he applies the final touches in making sure the new road can support heavy civilian traffic.  

TAJI, IRAQ

08.25.2008

Courtesy Story

926th Engineer Brigade

By 1st Lt. Jane Capra
926th Engineer Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Traffic builds as a truck struggles to make it up a sandy on-ramp as the vehicles driver travels an alternate route in an attempt to bypass a damaged bridge. After some time, Iraqi police and locals give the driver a push.

The scene replayed every few minutes, frustrating military and civilian drivers alike near the city of Taji. A steep slope on the on-ramp, coupled with a lack of a hard surface, were making it hard for traffic to travel the road and causing traffic to regularly back up for half a mile.

This is where the Soldiers of the 46th Engineer Combat Battalion serving with the 926th Engineer Brigade, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, along with eight Iraqi Army engineer soldiers, combined their efforts and offered their construction skills to help resolve the confounding issue for the local community.

The only catch – the road could only be closed from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. – and the job had to be completed in one night.

In stepped the Soldiers of the battalion's equipment platoon, which traveled in a 27-vehicle convoy along the two-hour route of march to the site called the "Grand Canal Bypass" – along one of the coalition forces' largest supply routes.

Their mission perhaps sounded simply in theory – to upgrade the on-ramp by placing a cement-gravel mix, retaining walls and Jersey barriers along the roadway. To accomplish this, a cement-gravel mix was used due to its quick drying ability, which prevented the road from being closed for an extended period.

The engineer Soldiers needed to focus on the project, so they linked up with a Stryker unit and the Iraqi national police for security. Before the construction began, a specialized dog team conducted a search of the area for improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance.

After the site was cleared, the bulldozer operator cut a 6=inch sub-base, which took roughly two hours, while the first batch of bonded gravel was being mixed by Soldiers in a separate area.

"Cutting the sub-base went well," said Spc. Jomer Baruela, the bulldozer operator, who is from Superior, Colo. "I completed it pretty quickly."

A water distributor was used to wet the mixture of gravel and cement, which dried quickly and left a solid traffic surface. Pvt. Casey Wilkes, who is from Clinton, N.C., assisted 6th Division Iraqi Army Soldiers as they mixed the concrete while using the water distributor hose.

Integration of the Iraqi army soldiers, said Wilkes, allowed them to gain hands-on experience so they can learn the appropriate engineer skills to perform missions such as this in the future.

"Working with the Iraqi army soldiers was fun and different. I showed them how to operate a water distributor, how to check the water level and how much water was needed in certain spots," said Wilkes.

Pfc. Jason Kirkland, who is from Twin City, Ga., and serves as a heavy equipment truck driver, said he also enjoyed the experience of working alongside the IA soldiers.

"Working with the IA soldiers was a good experience. They helped us throw bags of cement off the trucks and were real hard workers. The language barrier was a little tough though," said Kirkland.

It took approximately eight hours for the Soldiers to mix, place, compact and level the two batches of concrete. Meanwhile, their fellow Soldiers simultaneously worked to place Hesco barriers to stabilize the road banks. To top it off, Jersey barriers were placed around the top of, and at the base of, the on-ramp. A smooth roller finished its final pass at 7:00 a.m. the following day – two hours ahead of schedule.

"Our operators did a great job out here," declared Staff Sgt. Xavier Bowie, the EQ platoon sergeant. "It helps when the non-commissioned officers and operators are well-trained on their assigned equipment – it makes my job easier!"

Later that afternoon, the 46th ECB received word from its higher headquarters, the 926th Engineer Brigade, that the "Grand Canal Bypass" road had been opened to civilian and military traffic – much to the delight of the local residents who spent the night watching the engineers working hard to ease their traffic problem.

• Date Taken: 08.25.2008
• Date Posted: 08.25.2008 10:18
• Story ID: 22854
• Location: TAJI, IQ