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On December 12, 2006, the American Lebanese Engineering Society (ALES) organized a "Rebuild-Lebanon Dinner & Presentation" at Sabra Restaurant in Newton MA. The event was attended by around 30 professionals representing different organizations in the Greater Boston area. The presentation was given by two directors at ALES, Mr. Nabil Hourani, P.E. and Mr. Charles Sacre, P.E. who spoke about the "Challenges and Opportunities after the July 2006 War: Rebuilding the Roads and Bridges of Lebanon”. Dr. Hani Al-Dayaa, president of ALES, introduced the event and speakers.

Mr. Hourani who is the Head of the Geotechnical Department at the Massachusetts Highway Department discussed in the first part of the presentation what happened during the July 2006 war to the Infrastructure of Lebanon, in particular the roads and bridges. Photos and mapped data showed how extensive was the damage all over the country. In one word, it was a disaster.

To further make a point about the huge losses as a result of the July 2006 war and help understand the dramatic situation, the speaker presented a flashback that took the audience to the decade between 1994 and 2004, when a broad program for infrastructure development was achieved across Lebanon. The planning, design, and construction of a nation-wide network of roadways and bridges required a large amount of effort, time, and money. Lebanese and European firms participated in the infrastructure program. National and International institutions facilitated funding for more than $1 Billion over the period of 10 years.

Back to August 2006 and in response to the war’s damaging effects, the Lebanese government proposed an early recovery process, consisting of placing modular bridges on major highways, repairing key roadway sections, and constructing diversion roads. This re-connection between the various areas of the country was spearheaded by the Lebanese army which deployed quickly to the South, building bridges and pipe culvert embankments over waterways, and was continued by the French army which installed 14 temporary steel bridges, as of October 2006. These bridges allowed traffic to flow again in the country, but there were constraints on speed, load, and lane width on these temporary structures.

Rehabilitation initiatives were also quickly launched by the private sector to repair, rehabilitate, and re-construct bridges between the regions. These initiatives consisted of design-build contracts funded by commercial institutions and businessmen, like Byblos Bank, ex-prime minister Mikati, and the Hariri brothers. In an effort to track and control the reconstruction work, the Ministry of Public Works adopted a system of tracking data similar to the one used by the United Nations Joint Logistic Center (UNJLC) to manage the flow of humanitarian aid. This new system became the backbone of a national mapping and assessment program of the damaged roadway and bridge structures.

In summary, the above facts showed us that the on-going efforts, although laudable, were localized, not coordinated or planned.

Based on the above facts, Mr. Sacre discussed the need and necessity for a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of the roads and bridges. Charles who is a Principal Engineer at SEA, a consulting engineering firm in Cambridge, MA, explained that the destruction of the roads and bridges in Lebanon is indeed a disaster similar to natural disasters from earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes. They create havoc and cause extreme hardship on human beings. Peoples and nations around the world sympathize with countries struck by disasters, by giving financial and material donations. Organizations such as FEMA in the US, Engineers (or Doctors) Without Borders, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Funds, and others also provide extensive help and assistance. However, this has proven to be insufficient and inefficient. As a proof, the speaker offered several examples such as the situation after the earthquake in the Iranian city of Bam, and after the tsunami in Thailand. He spoke about his own experience in helping the inspection and inventory of the disaster area of the 9th Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The speaker then proposed a Plan for the Reconstruction of the bridges and roads destroyed after the July 2006 War in Lebanon. The Plan is based on three key phases:
• Phase 1 - Getting the Facts:
A comprehensive field survey of the damage backed by photos, data collection and record drawings of each bridge must be undertaken because the surveys that are available up to this date still remain incomplete. The survey results organized in a database will serve to estimate the cost of reconstruction of each bridge or roadway in particular, and the total costs and financial needs.
• Phase 2 - Planning for Reconstruction and Financing:
Based on the real assessed needs of reconstruction, a Plan is necessary. Such a Plan will consist in the following steps: (1) prioritize the projects and prepare the budgets and schedule for the design/bid/construction, (2) form a new Organizational Structure for Reconstruction (OSR) with a Leader who is experienced and committed, and is supported by a team to organize the design, bidding and construction; (3) create independent agencies with authority to monitor and audit the process of bidding, construction, and funds allocation and use in conformance with the Plan; (4) approach the donors (countries, world financial institutions and people) seeking to secure funds and/or to sponsor the reconstruction of one, two or ten bridges or roadways . The Plan for reconstruction is an insurance for the good execution of the work. The Plan including the OSR and the quality control and auditing mechanisms must be in place and be included in the financing discussions to assure the donors of the seriousness of the road map for reconstruction.
• Phase 3 - Implementation:
Leadership is needed to implement the Plan supported by a team for design, bidding, financing, monitoring and auditing, and construction. This team who will be the backbone of the new OSR, must be sensitive to the local Lebanese issues and problems to successfully implement the Plan for reconstruction.

Obviously for such a Plan to succeed, it needs the support of the Lebanese government and the Lebanese institutions. International agencies and world financial institutions will buy into the Plan because it is transparent and goal-oriented.

The audience then discussed this passionate presentation. Several opinions of support were extended to the speakers. Some suggested to use the engineering resources of the Lebanese Army and others different techniques of bidding project such as the design/build way of bidding. Opinions were expressed to involve the Lebanese authorities as soon as possible and to start the fund raising to pay the soft costs of preparing the Plan. There were also some skeptics who doubted that the Plan can be achieved in a country like Lebanon, that the costs of such an undertaking are exorbitant for such a professional organization such as ALES. However, the speakers stressed that a Plan that is transparent can safeguard the long-term interests of the Lebanese people.

The ALES board of directors thanks all members and friends who attended the event. The presentation will be available upon request at ales@alesonline.org. Updates regarding the Plan illustrated above will be posted at www.alesonline.org.
 

Below are more pictures from the event.