Posted on 02/07/2008 4:50:16 PM PST by SandRat
KUT — Two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects in Wassit Province were completed recently – a bridge and a primary healthcare center.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attended ribbon-cutting ceremonies at both locations.
"These projects are incredibly important to the small village of Sheikh Sa'ad," said Maj. Clay Morgan, the USACE resident engineer responsible for the projects. He said the village is about 40 kilometers east of Al Kut and about 30 kilometers from the Iranian border.
The Sheikh Sa'ad Bridge was built at a cost of nearly $8.3 million. The project entailed the design and construction of a 12 meter by 456 meter multi-span concrete bridge across the Tigris River. Money for the project came from the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.
The project included 500 meters of two-lane approach roadway at each end of the bridge, the bridge and approach lighting, and a paved river access road on each side of the Tigris adjacent to the bridge.
"The new concrete bridge replaces an old floating pontoon bridge that could only support small vehicle traffic," Morgan said. "The new bridge allows the farmers to transport their crops and supplies to and from the main highway between Baghdad and Maysan."
The primary healthcare center, or PHC, also was built with IRRF funds, at a cost of approximately $540,000.
"The new PHC is critical because there were no medical facilities in the village and the closest medical treatment was available in Al Kut, about 40 kilometers away," said Morgan. Morgan is the resident engineer in the Wassit Resident Office, which is part of the Forat Area Office of USACE’s Gulf Region South district.
The clinic is a so-called Type C PHC, the most capable of the three types of PHC's designed and built by USACE in Iraq. It provides for medical/dental examination and treatment with space dedicated for X-rays, vaccinations, laboratory, pharmacy and public education. It also includes an emergency room, labor and delivery wards, and a newborn nursery.
When fully manned, the clinic is expected to employ a staff of 27 doctors, nurses, technicians, and support personnel. The staff will be capable of treating 100 to 150 patients a day.
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