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| Sgt. Brandon Weston, of Charleston, SC watches over the completed bridge. |
Sgt. Amber M. Latham
Public Affairs, Task Force 844
Contributions by: SSG Connie Cavaunaugh, 401st MRBC
Baghdad, Iraq –Army Reserve Soldiers from the 401st Multi-Role Bridge Company, of Oklahoma City, OK, currently stationed at the Victory Base Complex in Iraq under the 844th Engineer Battalion, traveled 300 miles north to bridge the gap across the Tigris River near Hammam Al Alil. While the Soldiers knew that a bridge was needed, they did not realize the importance of the bridge serving as a strategic link between the two shores for coalition patrols, saving nearly four hours of travel time to the nearest bypass routes. As SGT Brandon Weston, of Charleston, SC, stated, “We don’t always know the reason, we just know that it’s needed.”
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| An interior bay goes into the water. |
Soldiers from the 523rd Engineer Company, 84th Engineer Battalion, worked for several weeks leading up to the build, conducting site preparation. Preparation consisted of a 50 ft cut in the river bank to create a manageable approach road that led to the water’s edge and allowed for the placement of vehicles. These Soldiers also assisted in digging holes that would be used for the anchorage system and placing gravel along the shoreline to increase the stability of the slip.
The mission proved to be a difficult one from the start, and the 401st EN CO Soldiers had some major obstacles to overcome. Conditions on the Tigris were less than ideal, not only did the Soldiers have to combat the swift current of 6-7 feet per second, but the constant flow of debris kept getting lodged in the boats hydro jets causing them to lose power. However, the quick thinking and diligent work of the maintenance crew enabled the boats to function well enough to complete the mission.
The 401st bridged the gap using the Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB). The IRB is a modular
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Staff Sgt. Mathie cleaning the hydro jets of the bridge erection boat. |
bridge having a roadway surface supported by a floating integral superstructure made of aluminum that functions as a pontoon. A complete ribbon bridge consists of a ramp bay at each bank and the required number of connected interior bays spanning between them. The IRB has a large roadway width that accommodates most vehicle traffic.
Completion of the bridge required over 100 Soldiers and over 40 vehicles. Bridge crewmembers worked long hours. Once on site, crews immediately started to work, downloading boats in the water and preparing bays for launch. To complete the bridge, 21 interior bays and two ramp bays were used with a build time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. The bridge was open to military and civilian traffic by 1230 hours that afternoon. PFC Christopher Allen, River Falls, WI, states, “It’s a proud feeling when the bridge is complete and you see all the cars waiting to use our [the 401st EN CO] bridge.”
To date, this is the biggest bridging mission the company has completed since arriving in Iraq in late April. When asked about the completed mission, SGT Weston states, “It was just another bridge. We put bridges in. That’s what we do.”
