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LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Provincial officials, including Laghman governor Mohammed Iqbal Azizi, recently attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Chardi Road Rehabilitation, a U.S. government-funded road improvement project in Mehtar Lam District, Aug. 25.
“The road will provide improved transportation and opportunities for work for more than 3,000 people in the area,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Sean Stapler of Narragansett, R.I., Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team lead engineer. “Residents will have greater access to medical and educational facilities, as well as government services. The project will also enhance security by allowing Afghan National Security Forces better access to the region.”
The project was nominated by the Laghman Director of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, under the Capacity Building Funds program, which is administered in the province by the Laghman PRT. Under the CBF program, government officials are mentored through the identification, design and execution of projects – therefore, projects not only benefit the community, but also serve as valuable training opportunities, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Possehl of Newnan, Ga., Laghman PRT commander.
In the instance of the Chardi Road project, RRD staff performed the initial survey, design and cost estimate with guidance from the PRT. As a condition for U.S. approval, the RRD director was required to have a course of action to sustain the project once it was completed. In this case, the villagers of the Chardi community have signed an agreement to maintain the 2.3-km stretch of road using an all-volunteer workforce, known as an “ashra.”
Construction of the road was carried out by an Afghan contractor – the Waheed Abudullah Construction Company – with oversight by the PRT. In an effort to create jobs locally, the contract stipulated that the contractor’s workforce would consist of at least 80 percent Afghan citizens, 75 percent of which resided within a 20-km radius of the worksite. The contract also provides for a one-year warranty on all new or refurbished drainage structures on the road.
The project was completed in 32 days at a cost of just over $45,000.
“I think this road will go a long way toward improving the quality of life for people in the area,” said Stapler. “It’s important to demonstrate to the community that supporting the Government of Afghanistan can bring tangible benefits.”
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2010 17:30 |
| Story ID: | 55797 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 8 |
This work, Road improvement project completed in Mehtar Lam, by Capt. Tristan Hinderliter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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