Key bridge assessments aim to improve Iraq’s infrastructure

Courtesy Photo | Sgt. 1st Class Byron Flakes, platoon sergeant, of Virginia Beach, Va., 2nd Plt., Company E, 1st Bn., 8th Inf. Reg., inspects the concrete piers of the Route Tampa bridge. (Photo by Pfc. Ryan Klick)  

NASIRIYAH, IRAQ

12.17.2010

Courtesy Story

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

By 1st Lt. Christopher Painter

NASIRIYAH, Iraq – Every day the engineer route clearance teams push through the gates of Camp Adder to conduct reconnaissance and clear the way along the logistics convoy routes.

Since conducting route clearance is an arduous and deliberately slow process, the Beast Platoon, 2nd platoon, Company E, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, attached to 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, was excited to receive a different mission that would allow them to exercise a different set of combat engineer skills.

While conducting a standard route clearance mission, the ‘Beast’ platoon’s task was to verify the stability of two key bridges located over the Euphrates River adjacent to the main supply route Tampa.

“These bridge assessments are a great professional development opportunity for our platoon to utilize our bridge analysis skills and another opportunity to improve Iraqi infrastructure,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Shepp, recon team leader from Largo, Md.

The primary bridge is a heavily traveled, highway deck structure made of reinforced concrete. The bridge is crucial to the nation’s infrastructure as a part of route Tampa, which serves as the major supply route through Iraq.

The secondary bridge is adjacent to the highway bridge and is a relatively small, pre-fabricated bridge, made of steel trusses linked together over a steel pier support system. The bridge is used primarily by fishermen and local homeowners who live along the Euphrates River to avoid the high-speed traffic of the highway.

Coordinating safety measures with the Iraqi highway patrol and Iraqi army check points, the platoon leadership assessed the bridges after talking with local citizens about traffic flow.

The teams set out measuring critical structure components and river velocity, assessing any structural damage and taking pictures. After the assessment, the platoon finished the primary clearance mission and returned to base to analyze the data.

Using a 16-step analytical method along with photo evidence, the platoon determined that both bridges are stable and strong enough to support their current use.

“The bridge recons were a great change of pace for Beast Platoon and will ensure the longevity of the primary transportation route in and out of Iraq,” said Sgt. Thomas Sturtz, recon team leader from Manitowoc, Wis.

• Date Taken: 12.17.2010
• Date Posted: 12.19.2010 17:11
• Story ID: 62294
• Location: NASIRIYAH, IQ