Nangarhar PRT visits Lal Pur Bridge

Members of the Nangarhar Provisional Reconstruction Team visited the Lal Pur Bridge Dec. 6 to assess construction progress.

The bridge is being built over the Kabul River to connect the Lal Pur Village to the northeastern areas of Nangarhar.

The Lal Pur Bridge, scheduled for completion June 2011 by the Meraj Construction Company, will be 11 meters wide, allowing for two large lanes of traffic, and 300 meters long.

The foundation for each of the bridge’s piers runs deep into the riverbed of the Kabul River. It is being constructed near Afghanistan’s main thoroughfare, Highway 1.

“This bridge has a very solid structure and foundation,” said Gul Mohmmand, Meraj Construction chief engineer. “I’m honored my company was chosen to construct it and be a part of Afghanistan history.”

“This is the biggest deal for the Lal Pur District ever,” said Lal Pur Subgovernor Hija Zuhaq. “It will be good for the economy, trade and commerce.”

Presently, there are very limited ways of crossing the river, said U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. James Elliott, Nangarhar PRT civil engineer from Richburg, S.C. There is a bridge located 50 km away, but it is a five-hour drive due to poor road conditions. There is also a ferry at the bridge’s location.

Both villages that border the Kabul River, Sarband on the east and Lal Pur on the west, are excited about the opportunities it will provide. Villagers on both sides expressed the same sentiment regarding the bridge; it is a dream come true.

The bridge will provide closer ties for the people of the Ghosta and Lal Pur districts to greater Nangarhar and Afghanistan as a whole, said Elliott.

There is no effective competition for the area separated by the Kabul River because of the large distances to markets, said Elliott. It will bring easy access to the northern agricultural plains between the Kabul and Kunar Rivers, allowing faster movement of agricultural products to the other side of the river and to the export route to Pakistan.

“The bridge which is costing an estimated $7 million will be the second largest in Afghanistan,” said Elliot. “Once completed, it will provide a permanent crossing for the Kama, Ghosta and Lal Pur districts, all of which are annually cut off during the high flood season.”