The 2004 tsunami mounted devastation upon a region that had already suffered thirty years of armed conflict. The USAID funded Aceh Road/Bridge Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project Team is therefore working in an environment of limited infrastructure on every level; physical, economic, governmental and social. It’s an environment full of complexities and presents a unique challenge to every person involved.

A project of this magnitude requires intense cooperation between dozens of independent groups. Design, construction, project oversight, environmental, safety and community outreach teams on two continents are working together to ensure that a high quality road is delivered according to International standards.

The project is on target for completion in early 2010 and can be divided into four phases:

1. Priority Contract: The first element of the reconstruction is called the Priority Contract. The Priority Contract includes the rehabilitation and construction of 40 kilometers of critical new road to replace several of most heavily damaged and highly traveled sections.  It also provides rehabilitation and maintenance of the 80-kilometer temporary road from Banda Aceh to Lamno while the new road is being constructed.  The priority contract is being carried out by P.T. Wijaya Karya (WIKA), an Indonesian construction company that has built much of Indonesia’s national road system.  The maintenance element of the priority contract commenced in August 2005 and the construction of the 40 km of new road began in October 2006. 
   
   
2. Design: The design, which was prepared by Parsons Global Services Ltd, a U.S. consulting firm, includes not only the alignment, or route, but also the right-of-way, roadway geometrics, pavements, earthwork, drainage, signage, bridges and other structures that include culverts and shore protection.  The approved final alignment was presented at an open house in Banda Aceh hosted by BRR to stakeholders, NGOs, government officials and the general public on June 29, 2006. 
   
   
3. Land Acquisition: Before the construction can begin, the land on which the road is to built must be acquired.  This process is being carried out by the Government of Indonesia with administrative and logistics support from project team members.  The first parcels of land were purchased in September 2006.  It is expected that this process will involve more than 3,700 parcels of land.
   
   
4. Construction: Bidding for the primary construction contract, which consists of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of approximately 115 kilometers of road and construction of 31 bridges, began on 10 June 2006 but terminated when negotiations could not be finalized. This resulted in a second bidding process that was open to international competition.  The primary construction contract was ultimately awarded to a joint venture of SsangYong Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. of South Korea and PT. Hutama Karya from Indonesia in June 2007.  When staffing their team, SsangYong–Hutama is expected to maximize use of Indonesian manpower, with priority to Acehnese