Air Force engineers help keep Afghan roads safe for travel

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joseph Kapinos
  • U.S. Air Force Central combat camera team
ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  "Roads bring people. People bring business and business improves life for everyone."

These words, spoken in 2006 by Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Pepin, then the deputy general for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, have proven prophetic, as, three years later, the ability to move vehicles and goods along roads here has been greatly enhanced, improving the lives of Afghans across the country.

In response, Taliban insurgents routinely target the newly-built infrastructure. Air Force engineers assigned to the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team have countered, along with Army security forces, by conducting missions along Highway One, a primary conduit for travel here and throughout the country.

On a routine mission in late October, the team inspected culvert covers and checked on the progress of construction projects providing bypasses for bridges in the province that had been destroyed by insurgents.

"Our primary goal for this mission is to make sure the cages and covers, which our contractor installed, are still properly secured the way they are supposed to be," said Capt. Rick Vermillion, an engineer assigned to the PRT and deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. "Insurgents have been using the tactic of filling the culverts, which run directly under the road, with explosives."

According to the captain, the cages have slowed the insurgents down, making it more difficult for them to complete their mission.

While on patrol, safety and security is paramount for all involved.

"We take every precaution when it comes to inspecting these ditches," said Tech. Sgt. Erik Field, the NCO in charge of quality assurance for the PRT, deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "We have to make sure there is nothing inside the culverts. We do that from a distance just in case we are being watched and they decide to detonate it."

Once the scene is secured, the engineers can get up close to the area, looking to make sure the work has been done as agreed to in the contract. They will, for instance, check to see if the contractor used the proper type of concrete. They also look for signs of tampering and to see if anything has been removed or filled.

"Today we found some bad concrete at one of the sites," Captain Vermillion said. "The materials used were not very good, with too many stones, and holes all throughout it. It was shoddy work at best."

It is then up to the engineers and the PRT members to engage the contractor and make sure the area is repaired.

Looking at the bypasses, which have been constructed alongside destroyed bridges, is another task the PRT staff accomplished during the mission.

"One of our goals here in the PRT is to facilitate freedom of movement for the people here in this province," Captain Vermillion said. "In order to accomplish that, we have to build bypasses next to bridges that have been destroyed by insurgent forces.

The insurgents want to restrict people and disrupt commerce," he said. "We work hard to make sure that as soon as we know there has been an incident, we are out there putting in the means to keep the cars, trucks and buses moving safely." 

This is one of the team's most important missions and the team has a contractor continually on call to make sure they can get a repair in place as soon as possible, the captain said.

"These roads are vital to the country of Afghanistan," said Capt. Greg Orbino, the PRT's senior engineer deployed from Scott AFB, Ill. "The roads connect the people to the government. It also allows government officials to be able to reach and see how they are doing."

"It is our mission to help make that possible," he said.