United Nations Peacekeeping began in 1948 when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East. Since then, more than 1 million men and women have served under the UN flag in more than 70 peacekeeping operations around the world. Today, more than 110,000 peacekeepers – soldiers, police officers and civilian personnel – are involved in 14 operations, among them the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Authorized in 2014, MINUSCA’s mandate is to protect civilians and provide support during the difficult path from conflict to peace. Among the mission’s many needs were 10 bridges to be used in various locations throughout the country where transportation infrastructure solutions are particularly critical to promoting stability in the region. Acrow bridges proved an ideal option for MINUSCA, which required the structures be on-site in the capital city of Bangui within 90 days. The bridges were delivered in August 2017.

Owing to the modular nature of the bridges, the components were able to be shipped in standard 20’ (6.1 meter) containers and transferred to trucks for delivery to the final destination. The Acrow bridges supplied were single-lane structures 4.2 meters wide curb-to-curb, with varying lengths from 9 meters to 30 meters. Each meets the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges and has a live load of AASHTO HS25.

An important component of the project was a training program provided in-country by Acrow for 40 MINUSCA military personnel over a five day period in February 2018. The training covered the full assembly, installation and maintenance of the structures as well as specific topics like parts identification, assembly techniques, positioning and placement of the launching rollers, center-of-gravity calculations and abutment positioning. MINUSCA personnel who participated in the training program, which consisted of both classroom hours and field training, came from a variety of countries, including Cambodia, Chile, Indonesia, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda and Tanzania.