Civil Affairs in Uganda prepares for two major road projects

3 July 07
by US Navy MC1 Mary Popejoy
CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

 LIRA, Uganda – The Soldiers and Sailors of Bravo Company 489th Civil Affairs Battalion Team A16 travel the roads of northern Uganda constantly in search of projects that can make a huge difference in the lives of those who live there.

The CA Team is a part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa whose mission is to partner with nations on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, consequence management, civic action programs to include medical and veterinary care, school and medical clinic construction and water development projects.

On June 18, the team stopped by two of their projects, the Walela Culvert and Bridge, which will help 60,000 people living in Internally Displaced Persons camps nearby.

“The Walela Bridge leading into the camp collapsed in 2001 when a tank drove over it,” said Army 1st Lt. Ben Sklaver, Bravo Co. 489th CA BN Team A16 team leader. “Since then, there hasn’t been a safe way to drive in or out. The United Nations has been forced to rely on a series of culverts, which is a conduit used to enclose a flowing body of water. The culverts have been deemed unsafe by the people of Lira District, United States Agency for International Development, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces and the Ministry of Roads in Kampala, so we decided to take on this important project.”

Currently, the surface of the road is two meters above the river bed, but during floods the water level rises to nearly four meters high. The new box culvert bridge will accommodate for the flood water levels.

To fix this issue, the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40 will construct a box culvert bridge approximately 20 meters long and five meters wide. The project will consist of backfilling, compacting, reinforcing and re-grading the portion of the road near the culvert that is damaged. On the entrance and exit sides to the new box culvert bridge, the road will be reinforced for approximately five meters to ensure stability of the entire structure. The Seabees will also re-build the Walela Bridge so local villagers have another avenue to travel as well.

“This project will assist USAID and the World Food Programme, in delivering food the villagers rely on for survival,” said Navy Lt. Vincent Palrose, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa engineer. “It will also enhance the Government of Uganda’s ability to sustain the lives of 60,000 IDP and countless refugees from regional conflicts. These humanitarian assistance projects protect vulnerable populations, contribute to regional stability, and nurture human capital necessary for future economic development.”

He went on to say that this project will also help the community during severe weather conditions brought on by Mother Nature.

“This project will go a long way to support the development and employment of the Government of the Republic of Uganda’s disaster relief capabilities to respond to man-made or natural disasters and emergencies in a country that is one of America's key partners in Africa,” said Palrose.

Photo - Team members from Bravo Company 489th Civil Affairs Battalion Team A16 look at the condition of the Walela Culvert June 18. The culvert and the collapsed bridge will be repaired by Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mary Popejoy.