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COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
PRESS RELEASE
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
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