New Salhiyah Bridge Opens

Sunday, February 15, 2004 Johnn Kennedy (703-343-8212) (kennedyj@orha.centcom.mil) The Ministry of Housing and Construction opened a major bridge in Al – Qadissiyah on Feb. 11 amid shouts of “we will build every bridge, we will pave every road,” by the residents of Ad Diwaniyah and workers from the Hamurabi Co. Mr. Baker Jabour Al-Zubaidi, the Minister for Housing and Construction, addressed a crowd of 200 villagers and workers during the opening ceremony. The minister said in his speech the “new bridge represents a new Iraq while the old one represents old Iraq”. The “old one” is a pontoon bridge the villagers have been using since before the war. Construction of the Al-Salahia Steel bridge was actually started before the war and was 30 percent completed when the project was halted during the war. The Ministry of Housing and Construction completed the construction of the bridge using money from the $100 million Construction Initiative (seized Iraqi money from Saddam’s regime). Final construction costs of the 122 meter long bridge was $250 million ID (approx. $167,000 US dollars) under a contract with the Hamurabi Company. The Hamurabi Co. combined the assets of the Al Taheer Co and the Hamurabi Co., both are State-Controlled Entities operated under the guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Construction. “Combining the various assets of these companies simply made more sense,” said Lt Col Joe Morgan, Senior Advisor to the Minstry, “after the war and the looting that followed, these companies weren’t able to compete for construction projects. Their equipment and materials were heavily damaged or stolen. Now there is a viable and competitive company available to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure.” Specific Information on the bridge: Name: Al Salahia Steel Bridge Governorate: Al Qadisiyah Municipality: Ad Diwaniyah Contractor: Hamurabi Co. Contract Value: $250,000,000 ID (approx. $167,000 U.S.) Funding Source: $100M Construction Initiative Schedule: 30% completed prior to the war 70% completed after the war Bridge Specifics: 122 meters long 10 meters wide (8 meters for traffic + 1 meter walkway on each side) 50 meter x 8 meter approaches on each side Driven “H” pile construction