Musa Qal’eh gets connected through Wadi Crossing

Photo By Cpl. Clayton Vonderahe | Sailors with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 guides a bunker to its proper position while it is suspended from a crane, Sept. 24. The construction of the crossing began in early September and is expected to be completed by early December.  

MUSA QAL'EH, AFGHANISTAN

09.21.2011

Story by Cpl. Clayton Vonderahe 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

MUSA QAL'EH, Afghanistan - The Musa Qal’eh District Center is a bustling area thriving off its high distribution of commerce. During the summer, the streets are teeming with trucks delivering packaged goods, farmers towing carts filled with fruits and vegetables behind donkeys and livestock being herded to the butcher. During the rainy season, however, it is a much different situation.

A wadi, or river bed, separating the district center from many neighboring areas, floods with torrents of water, eliminating the ability to transport goods. The Marines working in the area have spent years creating the groundwork necessary to build a crossing, enabling the populace to exchange goods, no matter the season.

In the beginning of September 2011, Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment took control of the battle space, and are responsible for overseeing the construction of the long awaited Musa Qal’eh Wadi Crossing.

The project is spearheaded by the civil affairs Marines from 4th Civil Affairs Group attached in support of 2/4, and is being constructed by the sailors with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4. The project is slated for completion in early December.

“The construction of the wadi crossing bridge has been noted as being rather vital,” said Gunnery Sgt. James Flaherty, the civil affairs team chief. “It fills up in the winter time, and when it does that, it makes access pretty much impossible to vehicles on the opposite side of the wadi. Hopefully after construction we will see a lot more commerce in the district center.”

The chief neighboring villages are to the south and west of Musa Qal’eh’s District Center, and are where the commerce traffic causing potential growth for the district center lies, according to Flaherty. The wadi dissects these areas, leaving the district center isolated from these villages when the water rises.

“Last week we were patrolling through a neighboring village,” explained Maj. David VanHoof, the team leader with the civil affairs group. “I met a merchant there and he was saying that during the rainy season he won’t be able to get to Musa Qal’eh for three months just because of the rush of the water coming down the wadi. I asked him what the next thing he needed was and he said electricity. That kind of hit home to me, that gee, this bridge is more important to him than having power in his home.”

The wadi spans roughly 100 yards wide, and when the rains arrive it can become deep enough to swallow small cars and move fast enough to wash them away. In the dry season water still trickles in weak veins through the desolate wadi, but the rains bring rushing currents.

Some citizens attempt to drive their vehicles across, hoping to remain on the high turf as they pass, avoiding the divots. Some make it through at the expense of damage to their vehicles, and many get stuck and have to be towed out by a heavy tractor.

“This wadi project was a long time coming,” said Navy Lt. j.g. Jim Corbett, the officer in charge of NMCB-4 detachment Musa Qal‘eh and heading the construction of the crossing. “They have had previous attempts that have failed and we are trying to restore confidence in the [Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan] as well as [International Security Assistance Forces] in the local populace. This project is going to provide stability as well as an economic boost to the area.”

The crossing is composed of two 60-meter spans meeting in the center of the wadi. It will be as wide as an average, two-lane, American road, constructed from prefabricated concrete parts. There are approximately 63 concrete slabs and 183 bunkers being used to create the crossing. Each prefabricated piece weighs between 10 and 20 tons. Large convoys carrying the prefabricated pieces traveled more than 50 miles of hostile terrain to deliver them to the construction site.

The process for constructing the crossing is done through leveling the ground, then placing large, square, concrete slabs side by side, forming the ground level of the road. Concrete bunkers, shaped like six-foot tall, upside down U’s, are then placed on top of the concrete slabs, raising the road above the water level.

Cranes in the wadi tower high into the air as they slowly drift concrete slabs from their long arms to the smoothed gravel where they are to be placed. Seabees, donning full combat gear, walk alongside the hulking pieces, guiding them by hand into their proper position.

The completed project will be raised roughly six feet from ground level and allow the river to flow underneath, between the walls of the bunkers. The crossing is designed to withstand the erosion of water and function as a long lasting, safe means of commute.

“There was a lot of thought and design that went into this project,” Corbett said. “I feel like we found the best solution and I hope it will be a lasting fixture for the residents of Musa Qal’eh.”

The increase of commerce will in turn help the district operate more on its own merit. Musa Qal’eh’s district governor currently relies heavily on funds allotted to him from the provincial governor, according to Flaherty. He hopes the increase of business and trade will give the district the help it needs to be less reliant on provincial funds.

“To [the citizens] it is a very big project,” explained Maj. David VanHoof, a Jackson, Mich. native. “It’s really going to help out their economy and their way of life.”

• Date Taken: 09.21.2011
• Date Posted: 10.06.2011 01:22
• Story ID: 78093
• Location: MUSA QAL'EH, AF