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MARJAH, Afghanistan - When America moved west within its own borders, the construction of roads and bridges was vital to make trade and national commerce possible.
The Afghans too are building their own roads and now governance and commerce is flourishing in what used to be one of the most dangerous places in the world.
From Marjah to Lashkar Gah, two main economic hubs in Helmand province, where once was a simple dirt road, now stands Route 608, a two-lane, paved Afghan highway connecting these two districts for the first time.
The 12-kilometer project was started by the International Security Assistance Forces Provincial Reconstruction Team and the Special Team Royal Engineers, to enhance the road network in the province. Now days from completion and five months ahead of schedule, those who assisted with the project consider it a tremendous success.
“Everything that will enable this community to grow is coming from this project,” said Tait Nelson, a technical engineer for the project who served as a mentor to help guide the Afghan company in charge of creating the road. “Max Star, the construction company we had in charge of this road, did exactly what we expect a good Afghan company to do. Once they started building, they started to govern themselves on the job and they got better and better. They responded positively as we helped to mentor them and they learned as they went on.”
Despite some of the initial challenges of securing the area and manufacturing the proper asphalt mixture from local materials, the completed road will soon become connected to a 45-kilometer road enabling the Afghans in the area to reach well beyond what was capable just a few years ago.
“Having a paved road like this is in the area gives the locals something they can take ownership of and it’s much harder to dig an (improvised explosive device) into a paved road instead of the dirt path that was here before,” said 1st Lt. Thomas Allsworth, the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) roads and bridges officer. “The locals have a stable means to travel and now the farmers in Marjah can bring their crops to Lashkar Gah which is certainly going to help with commerce as well.”
The final piece of the puzzle is a bridge that serves as the connection point between the two roads allowing the 57-kilometer road to bring the district centers within reach for the local Afghans.
“We have two Medium Girder Bridges in place for vehicles to use as a crossing point while the permanent one is being constructed,” said Allsworth, a Phoenix, native. “The Afghans had to completely divert a stream to get the bridge foundation in place. It looks great and it’s right on schedule.”
For the Afghans, designing and building the road instilled not only a means to build commerce and trade in the larger community, but also acted as a sense of national pride.
“This helps the people so they can work,” said Mohammad Daud Dawari, the president of the Max Star construction company. “I am happy to see Afghans working with Afghans to make this dream possible. We sincerely appreciate everyone who helped teach us along the way.”
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2012 11:02 |
| Story ID: | 91571 |
| Location: | MARJAH, AF |
| Web Views: | 469 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Connecting a Country – Road, bridge projects bring Afghanistan together, by CPT James Mercure, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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