U.S. troops in Paktya Province plan bridges

 

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. troops may help build two bridges spanning a river in Danda Patan District, Paktya Province, over the next several months.

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gardez Resident Office and the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team surveyed two frequently-traversed sites along the Darya-ye-Chamkani River Sept. 27. They measured the breadth of the river and its velocity.

 

The purpose of the survey was to gather information for future infrastructure projects that could help provide local Afghans with access to government services, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Charles W. Douglass, commander of the Paktya PRT.

“The bridges (should they be built) will connect several outlying villages and reduce the travel from 9.6 kilometers to the main road down to less than 1 kilometer,” Douglass, a resident of Niceville, Fla., said via e-mail. “This opens these villages to direct support from their government, connects them to education and market opportunities, and provides a stable roadway above the river and wadis (dry seasonal riverbeds) for their safety. It's a great project and long overdue.”

Sean Walsh, a USACE civil engineer present at the Sept. 27 survey, said, “What our (USACE) office is planning to do is put together three or four options for each site.”

The options range from inserting concrete blocks in the river, which would reduce the velocity and depth of the water at the popular crossing areas, to constructing bridges in both locations, said Walsh, who is from Carlisle, Mass.

U.S. Army Capt. Daniel R. Hill, the USACE Gardez Resident Office officer in charge, who was also present during the survey, said the projects would likely be funded in part by the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, a tool that allows on-the-ground commanders to fund infrastructure projects with the approval of the local government.

Preferably, the work would be done by Afghan contractors and supervised by U.S. personnel, but U.S. military may take a more direct role depending on what proposals are accepted, he said.

“Our goal is to build something that is not going to wash away – we’d rather not fight the water,” said Hill, who hails from Whitney, Texas. “High water is a problem in the area. We want durable and low maintenance – that really is the theme for all construction in Afghanistan right now.”

The final product is likely to be the result of effort from the Paktya PRT, USACE and other elements, Walsh said.

“We’re all working together to get this thing done, which makes it fun – a little difficult – but fun,” Walsh said.

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