Provincial government, PRT link citizens together with new roads

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan –  Getting through downtown Asadabad, Afghanistan, just became easier thanks to four kilometers of new roads that were completed, Dec. 13.

Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team engineers completed their final quality assurance check prior to a dedication ceremony with Fazlullah Wahidi, Kunar provincial governor, and village elders on a clear, warm day.

The roads, worth $935,000, took nearly a year to complete and used concrete and double-bituminous surface treatment to pave the roads that will benefit hundreds of families and businesses in the city. It is a welcomed improvement according to several residents and shopkeepers.

Sherzada, a general store owner who has been in business for three years, said the new roads make a difference in the lives of the people working and living in Dam Kalay village and Asadabad.

“Before, the road was all muddy and wasn’t good for my business. The people of this village and (I) were getting our clothes dirty while walking here,” Sherzada said. “Whenever we were doing shopping downtown, it would take more time for us to come here. But the new road now makes us feel safer and cleaner. It also makes the trip shorter, and it’s a benefit for everyone in the village.”

According to U.S. Navy Lt. Derek Elling, PRT engineer, it was a good project with only minor issues. He said that unlike many of the other road projects the PRT is working on, this wasn’t a continuous four-kilometer road, but rather, smaller segments of roads linking different parts of the city together.

“The overall quality of the road is good. There was a 700-meter section of road that wasn’t complete when we got here (in July) that we had to decide whether it was going to be (double-bituminous surface treatment) or concrete because it is in a washout area. That was what we (quality assessed) before the dedication ceremony,” said Elling, a native of Norwood Young America, Minn. “There were minor things that need to be addressed—a small section of the road broke off and a culvert needs to be repaired—but overall it is good road.” 

Elling said a positive sight while conducting the quality assessment patrol was seeing people cleaning the new streets, who had been locally hired by a non-governmental group. 

“The NGO is doing some good work and are on the frontline of things. They pay people directly to go out and do jobs like clean the street, which eliminates the threat of corruption and graft,” Elling added.

In his remarks to the gathered crowd of more than 50 provincial leaders and tribal elders at the dedication site, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph Cantlin, PRT chief of military-civilian operations, praised the local construction and engineering company for its efforts.

“This morning the PRT walked up and down the road to see that the contractor did a good job and built a good road for the city of Asadabad,” said Cantlin, a native of Ft. Belvoir, Va.

Cantlin said the desire of the PRT is that the road will improve governance and development in the area.

“The PRT is very happy that we can be here on this beautiful day in Asadabad to celebrate the opening of this new road,” Cantlin said. “As you know, Asadabad is the capital and center of governance and economic development for the entire province. Our hope is that this new road will help to continue economic development and bring new jobs to the people of Asadabad.”