The fallen span of the southbound lane on the Grand Canal Bridge in Taji, northwest of Baghdad, floats in the water underneath the bridge. The damage was caused by a vehicle-born improvised explosive device which was detonated on August 14, 2007. Photo by Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield, 2nd Stryker Brigade 25th Infantry Division.

The bridge, which spans a portion of the Grand Canal and is one of the key crossings along the main highway west of the Tigris River, was damaged by two terrorist attacks last year.

A terrorist drove a vehicle-born improvised explosive device onto the middle of the southbound lane, May 11, 2007. When it detonated, it left a massive hole in the middle of the lane. Another VBIED was detonated in the northbound lane, August 14, 2007, sending a large span of the bridge plummeting into the water below.

A local Iraqi construction company, Rownaq al Mas, was contracted by the government of Iraq to rebuild both lanes of the bridge and remove fallen debris from the canal below.

“What is most significant about this project is that the Iraqis are doing this completely on their own,” said Capt. Mark Gillman, a native of Las Vegas, and assistant engineer, 2nd SBCT, 25th Inf. Div., “The bridge is funded by the Iraqi government, a local company is doing all of the work, and the Iraqi Army is here for security.”

The project is separated into two phases; each phase is scheduled for completion in three months. During the first phase the contractors are working to repair the hole in the northbound lane and break down the fallen span to remove it from the canal piece by piece.

During the second phase they will focus completely on rebuilding the missing portion of the bridge in the southbound lane.

The workers began construction June 29, 2008, and have made a good amount of progress preparing foot paths, insuring the safety of the foundation and removing asphalt around the damaged area to begin installing the steel received last week.

“By the end of the year the bridge will look like it used to,” said Gillman

Each time a vehicle crosses the bridge, it passes a bold sign that can’t be missed by the passengers inside. Printed in Arabic the sign screams the words “We will rebuild.”

“Seeing this project gives the people of Iraq confidence in themselves and their government. It gives them hope for the future,” said Saleem Abdul Karim, bicultural and bilingual advisor who works with the civil engineers and is a subject matter expert in engineering. “It is a light at the end of a tunnel.”