|
|
|
Progress On Track: Al Ramaylah Bridge ReopensThu, January 05, 2006Source: MoDJourney times between the city of Basrah and the oilfields of Al Ramaylah and Al-Qurnah in southern Iraq have been vastly reduced following the re-opening of the bridge at Ramaylah.Journey times between the city of Basrah and the oilfields of Al Ramaylah and Al-Qurnah in southern Iraq have been vastly reduced following the re-opening of the bridge at Ramaylah. The bridge, a vital communications link in the wider Al Basrah area, was destroyed by Iraqi forces in early 2003 who left a 33 metre gap. The British Army's 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers keep the road connection open with a temporary logistic support bridge in Spring 2003 but the repairs to the permanent bridge have now been completed. Situated 15 kilometres north of Al Basrah, the Al Ramaylah Bridge is 130 metres long and straddles the 50 kilometre-wide floodplain area of the Hawr Al Hammar river. The re-opening of the bridge will reduce the time it takes to get from Al-Qurnah and Al Ramaylah and will avoid having to go through central Basrah, cutting 52 kilometres off the journey. It is estimated that 100-150 vehicles an hour, from cars to heavy goods vehicles, will use the bridge, which is designed to support trucks of up to 120 tonnes in weight. Construction of the original bridge began during the late 1980s and it was completed in 1993. It was a simply supported, pre-cast concrete sectional bridge and had six spans. The new bridge is the same design and the two destroyed spans have been completely replaced. Each of the bridge's girders is 1.75 metres in depth and 16.5 metres long, and weighs 35 tonnes. A total of 280 tonnes of cement was used during construction of the bridge. The project to rebuild the bridge was co-ordinated and funded by the Multi National Division (South East). Basrah-based civil engineering firm, Al Fahad Engineering Company won the contract to rebuild in March 2005. Construction took 150 days, with 15 people working on the project full time. Once the Engineers' temporary bridge had been dismantled, work on the new bridge started with the pier and repairs were made to the damaged sections. The main spans of the bridge are 33 metres in length, and only required minimal repair. The final 33 metre gap was replaced using two 16.5 metre span girders and a centrally placed column to provide support. The whole road was then re-tarmacked. Captain Glen Billington, Project co-ordinator, Headquarters Multi National Division (South East) said: "The reopening of the Al Ramaylah bridge is great news for the people of the Al Basrah area. It's a very busy transport link and will save people travelling between Al Ramaylah and Al Qurnah having to make a lengthy detour via Basrah city. "The project was managed, designed and executed mostly by Iraqis, with very little assistance from Multi National Division (South East), which is a good sign of what can be achieved and that progress is on track. "And it means that there's now a permanent structure here once again, which should last for many years to come." |
|
