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Accomplishments: Bridges and Railroads
Aerial view of the damaged Khazir River bridge in northern Iraq.
Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. |
Functional ground transportation, including railroads and bridges, is essential for enabling humanitarian assistance; furthermore, functional transportation is a requirement for Iraq's economic well-being. Iraq's transportation infrastructure was severely neglected under Saddam Hussein's regime. Lack of investment and maintenance over the past two decades led to widespread deterioration in the infrastructure. As a result, the challenge is to restore the transportation infrastructure to effectively provide humanitarian assistance as well as to restore normal transportation services to the Iraqi people. To meet these challenges, USAID's transportation infrastructure projects support the Iraqi ministries' priorities in moving passengers and goods quickly and effectively.
Bridges Accomplishments
- In preparation for reconstruction, irreparable sections of three key bridges (Khazir, Tikrit and Al Mat) were demolished.
- Al Mat Bridge: A key link on Highway 10, which carries over 3,000 trucks daily on the main route between Baghdad and Jordan.
- Completed construction of a 1.5-kilometer, four-lane bypass for the damaged bridge-an essential bypass to transport humanitarian goods.
- Khazir Bridge: Critical to the flow of fuel and agricultural products to the north.
- Tikrit Bridge: An important link for passengers and commerce over the Tigris River between Tikrit and Tuz Khurmatu.
- Repairs on a floating bridge on the Tigris River in Al Kut are complete, improving traffic for approximately 50,000 travelers a day.
Railroads Accomplishments
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The rail program, part of the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction contract, is reconstructing and improving 72 kilometers of track in Umm Qasr port and between the port and Baghdad to improve freight transport.
- The track has not been upgraded since the 1950s and causes derailments, accidents, and delays to the existing rail service.
- Work on railways is an integrated U.S.-Iraqi effort: the Iraqi Railway Administration contributes equipment and labor, while USAID contributes project management, material, and parts.
- Explosive ordnance disposal at all 53 sites of the rail line project near Shuiaba Junction is complete, and culvert reconstruction work is underway.
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