Thursday, November 01, 2007

Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team funds $1.7 million bridge

Construction is under way for a $1.7 million bridge across the Farah Rud River near Tojg Village, Afghanistan.

The project, funded by the Farah Provisional Reconstruction Team, will employ several hundred Afghans for two years.

Each year, the Farah Rud River rises about six feet, cutting the people in Tojg off from the main road and their farmlands. The nearest crossing is several hours away, in Farah City. Eight to 10 people drown annually attempting to cross the river.

The massive masonry and reinforced concrete bridge will span 300 meters and rise 12 meters over the center span.

The bridge will benefit the 10,000 residents of Tojg and the people from Shib Koh, Qalay Ka, Lashe Juwain and Farah City districts.

Due to the project’s size and duration, several local contractors joined forces to create a joint venture company, pooling resources, equipment and manpower for the bridge construction.

By reducing travel time to the city center, this link will enhance economic activity, improve response times for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, and improve access to social services. The link also will extend the reach of the central government, allowing officials to conduct more frequent assessments of the outer districts.

(From a Combined Joint Task Force 82 news release.)