Route Trident
Encyclopedia
Route Trident was built by the British Army
's Royal Engineers
in Helmand Province
, Afghanistan
. The construction of the road was codenamed Operation Lar Jarowel by the Ministry of Defence
. Route Trident replaced an older road that was vulnerable to attack by insurgents on convoys supplying three patrol bases established in the Gholam Dastagir Kalay area as part of Operation Panther's Claw
. The attacks resulted in the deaths of two British servicemen and led to the cancellation of the convoys, forcing the bases to be resupplied by air.
It was decided that a new and easier to protect road would be constructed by the Royal Engineers, as part of Operation Moshtarak
, to free up air resources. Engineers used the Neoweb geosynthetic cellular confinement
system to reduce cost and aggregate
use, and labour was provided partly by local Afghans. Construction began in December 2009 and was completed in March 2010, during which time the construction teams and security forces came under frequent attack. The first to be built under fire since British operations in the Dhofar Rebellion
in the early 1970s, the completed road allowed resupply convoys to travel its length in about 30 minutes, compared to 36 hours along the old road. The success of the project led to the approval of plans for an extension to connect the provincial capital Lashkar Gah with the economic capital of Gereshk
. Construction of the extension began in July 2010and was completed in April 2011.
and a number of checkpoints in the area around Gholam Dastagir Kalay, which lies between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk
, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The patrol bases had been built by the Light Dragoons Battle Group in the aftermath of the Operation Panther's Claw
advance in Summer 2009. The patrol bases were garrisoned by the Coldstream Guards
and were resupplied by land transport on the old Babaji Road, which was a dirt track
. The Babaji area was one of the most violent parts of Helmand and the road was targeted by the Taliban with Improvised Explosive Device
s (IEDs). The poor security was partly a result of the lack of a significant Afghan security force presence and the absence of a functioning local government.
During 2009 two British soldiers were killed and 17 injured while resupplying the patrol bases. The land convoys were subsequently stopped and replaced by aerial resupply with helicopters and Hercules transport aircraft. The use of aircraft used up valuable resources of the local British logistics system and the Coldstream Guards were often forced to fight to reach the air dropped
supplies. The British Army decided to construct a road to allow better resupply of their patrol bases, to stimulate local markets and social movement, to provide greater stability, and to facilitate reconstruction in the area.
was appointed to be the project designer. The project was the first of its kind to be undertaken in Afghanistan and was allocated a budget of £3.5 million. The road designed was 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) long and 6.5 metres (21.3 ft) wide. One design constraint was that the patrol bases had to be able to see straight along the route to prevent insurgents gaining unmonitored access to the road. Another factor was a 300 metres (984.3 ft) wide wadi
known as the Suf Mandah that consisted of two water bearing channels. This provided agricultural irrigation
for the local people and so could not be interrupted during construction because of its economic importance. The design for this section included a floating roadway over the waterlogged ground and two box culverts for the irrigation channels. The 17 smaller culverts along the route were made from reinforced concrete
and stone gabion
s. The road itself was designed to be of unbound aggregate
that could in the future be overlain with an asphalt
surfacing.
The cost of construction aggregate in Afghanistan is high (around $250 to $650 per cubic metre) because of security and transport costs, therefore Foley attempted to minimise its use. A series of trials using various foundation systems was carried out at Camp Bastion
before a geosynthetic cell system
called Neoweb was chosen. Neoweb is supplied flat but unfolds to form a hollow honeycomb structure that can be backfilled with aggregate and overlain with a wearing course. The specification of Neoweb allowed a 75 percent reduction in aggregate and a two-thirds cost saving compared to traditional road-building methods. The Neoweb layer acts as a semi-rigid slab foundation
and is designed to allow the surfacing layer to hold together under heavy vehicles and in harsh weather. The foundation also makes it harder for insurgents to plant IEDs under or in the road.
. The project manager appointed for the construction phase was Captain
Dick Gale, who had deployed to Afghanistan specifically for this task. The works were carried out by 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron from the 28 Engineer Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant
Helen Ladd, which had been in the theatre since October 2009. The management team also included Major Brian Johnston and Staff Sergeant
Bernie Winter, who acted as foreman of plant
. A team of 70 local labourers and plant operator
s were employed under the "cash-for-work" scheme to supplement the sapper
s from 23 Squadron.
Construction began at Gholam Dasagir Kalay in mid-December 2009 and progressed to the neighbouring village of Hajji Jamal Kalay and towards the patrol bases through agricultural land and desert. The project took three months to complete and soon came under attack; becoming the first road to be built by the Royal Engineers under fire since British operations against rebel forces in the Dhofar Rebellion
in southern Oman
in the early 1970s. Methods of attack included small arms, rocket propelled grenade
s and IEDs; and the construction team came under attack, on average, every few days. The attacks meant that the engineers had to carry full arms, body armour and camouflage their surveying equipment when setting out
and undertaking reconnaissance for the road. In addition units from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards Battle Group and the Afghan National Army
were brought in to provide protection. International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) and Afghan patrols in the area were also stepped up and unmanned drones engaged enemy combatants preparing to attack construction personnel.
The project encountered several problems not typically associated with road construction. Materials had to be brought in for the road from as far away as Kandahar
, Quetta
, in Pakistan, and the United Kingdom; and the work was carried out in 50 °C (122 °F) heat. The design was altered as a result of consultations with local Afghans, who wanted, for example, to route the road through villages where possible, to minimise the loss of agricultural land. The Taliban carried out direct attacks and used intimidation to deter workers; at least one was beaten and kidnapped. Despite these difficulties the first supply convoy travelled along the road on 10 March 2010, completing a journey that took 36 hours on the old road in just 30 minutes. The road was officially declared completed on 12 March 2010, and another convoy made the trip that day in just 25 minutes.
, the economic heart of Helmand, to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. This has been designated as provincial governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal's third highest priority for any activity in Helmand. The route would also provide access for Afghans to the hospitals in Gereshk and Lashkar Gah and has been described as a a "critical route to further operations in South Helmand". The extension will connect the region to the main Highway 1 road that connects many of Afghanistan's main cities.
As of 7 July 2010 the two construction battlegroups, working from each end of the new extension, were just 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) apart. The work proved to be challenging, with a large number of culverts having to be installed and high levels of insurgent activity in the area. One local contractor refused to work because of security issues, which resulted in the project being delayed from its original finish date of July to October 2010.
Responsibility for security of the road and its extension passed from the Coldstream Guards to the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group
(RGR) in April 2010. The battle group suffered a loss on 5 July 2010 when Trooper James Leverett of the Royal Dragoon Guards
(RDG), attached to the RGR battle group, was killed after the Viking armoured vehicle
he was travelling in was struck by an IED. Leverett was providing security for the road expansion when he was killed. Two further soldiers were killed during Route Trident security operations on 21 July 2010. The casualties were Corporal
Matthew Stenton, also of the RDG, and Lance Corporal
Stephen Monkhouse, of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. Their deaths occurred near Basharan, north of Lashkar Gah, after insurgents opened fire on a group of Coyote and Viking vehicles protecting an IED disposal and casualty evacuation.
By September there was said to be "steady progress" on the extension of the road with elements of 1 Troop of the 1st Armoured Engineer Squadron, 21 Engineer Regiment being brought in from Ripon
, Yorkshire
to assist. Insurgent attacks had become an almost daily occurrence and halting work was said to be "the insurgents' main effort in [the] area". Operation Oqab Jarawel (in English: Eagle's Build) was launched in October 2010 to provide security for the extension of the route over the Loy Mandeh river. The operation involved elements of 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
working alongside Afghan forces to clear three villages of insurgents and set up new checkpoints to secure the area. The operation was highly successful, resulting in a 90% reduction in attacks in the area and allowing the new bridge to be built by the start of January 2011.
By early October 2010 Route Elephant, which will link with Trident and runs from Highway 1 to Lashkar Gah, was said to be very successful with a sixfold increase in traffic. As of mid-November 2010 Route Trident is still under construction.
The Route Trident extension between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk was reported as complete on April 15, 2011 and has cut journey times between the two centres from two weeks to just two-and-a-half hours and seen insurgent attacks drop by 90 per cent.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The construction of the road was codenamed Operation Lar Jarowel by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. Route Trident replaced an older road that was vulnerable to attack by insurgents on convoys supplying three patrol bases established in the Gholam Dastagir Kalay area as part of Operation Panther's Claw
Operation Panther's Claw
Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, was a British-led military operation of the Afghan War in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. It aimed to secure various canal and river crossings to establish a permanent International Security Assistance Force presence in the area...
. The attacks resulted in the deaths of two British servicemen and led to the cancellation of the convoys, forcing the bases to be resupplied by air.
It was decided that a new and easier to protect road would be constructed by the Royal Engineers, as part of Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak was an ISAF pacification offensive in the area that is described as the "poppy-growing belt" of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. The combat operations started on February 13, 2010, and focuses on the Nad Ali District and Lashkar Gah district...
, to free up air resources. Engineers used the Neoweb geosynthetic cellular confinement
Cellular confinement
Cellular Confinement Systems are widely used in construction for erosion control, soil stabilization on flat ground and steep slopes, channel protection, and structural reinforcement for load support and earth retention...
system to reduce cost and aggregate
Construction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
use, and labour was provided partly by local Afghans. Construction began in December 2009 and was completed in March 2010, during which time the construction teams and security forces came under frequent attack. The first to be built under fire since British operations in the Dhofar Rebellion
Dhofar Rebellion
The Dhofar Rebellion was launched in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, which had British support, from 1962 to 1976. It ended with the defeat of the rebels, but the state of Oman had to be radically reformed and modernised to cope with the campaign.-Background:In...
in the early 1970s, the completed road allowed resupply convoys to travel its length in about 30 minutes, compared to 36 hours along the old road. The success of the project led to the approval of plans for an extension to connect the provincial capital Lashkar Gah with the economic capital of Gereshk
Gereshk
Gereshk is a town in Gerishk District in Helmand province on the Helmand River in central Afghanistan, some northwest of Kandahar at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal. Gereshk was...
. Construction of the extension began in July 2010and was completed in April 2011.
Background
Route Trident was constructed to connect three patrol basesMilitary base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
and a number of checkpoints in the area around Gholam Dastagir Kalay, which lies between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk
Gereshk
Gereshk is a town in Gerishk District in Helmand province on the Helmand River in central Afghanistan, some northwest of Kandahar at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal. Gereshk was...
, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The patrol bases had been built by the Light Dragoons Battle Group in the aftermath of the Operation Panther's Claw
Operation Panther's Claw
Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, was a British-led military operation of the Afghan War in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. It aimed to secure various canal and river crossings to establish a permanent International Security Assistance Force presence in the area...
advance in Summer 2009. The patrol bases were garrisoned by the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
and were resupplied by land transport on the old Babaji Road, which was a dirt track
Dirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
. The Babaji area was one of the most violent parts of Helmand and the road was targeted by the Taliban with Improvised Explosive Device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s (IEDs). The poor security was partly a result of the lack of a significant Afghan security force presence and the absence of a functioning local government.
During 2009 two British soldiers were killed and 17 injured while resupplying the patrol bases. The land convoys were subsequently stopped and replaced by aerial resupply with helicopters and Hercules transport aircraft. The use of aircraft used up valuable resources of the local British logistics system and the Coldstream Guards were often forced to fight to reach the air dropped
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
supplies. The British Army decided to construct a road to allow better resupply of their patrol bases, to stimulate local markets and social movement, to provide greater stability, and to facilitate reconstruction in the area.
Design
Major Adam Foley of the 64 Headquarters and Support Squadron, 28 Engineer Regiment of the Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
was appointed to be the project designer. The project was the first of its kind to be undertaken in Afghanistan and was allocated a budget of £3.5 million. The road designed was 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) long and 6.5 metres (21.3 ft) wide. One design constraint was that the patrol bases had to be able to see straight along the route to prevent insurgents gaining unmonitored access to the road. Another factor was a 300 metres (984.3 ft) wide wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
known as the Suf Mandah that consisted of two water bearing channels. This provided agricultural irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
for the local people and so could not be interrupted during construction because of its economic importance. The design for this section included a floating roadway over the waterlogged ground and two box culverts for the irrigation channels. The 17 smaller culverts along the route were made from reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and stone gabion
Gabion
Gabions are cages, cylinders, or boxes filled with soil or sand that are used in civil engineering, road building, and military applications. For erosion control caged riprap is used. For dams or foundation construction, cylindrical metal structures are used...
s. The road itself was designed to be of unbound aggregate
Construction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
that could in the future be overlain with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surfacing.
The cost of construction aggregate in Afghanistan is high (around $250 to $650 per cubic metre) because of security and transport costs, therefore Foley attempted to minimise its use. A series of trials using various foundation systems was carried out at Camp Bastion
Camp Bastion
Camp Bastion is the main British military base in Afghanistan. Accommodating 21,000 people it is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, and exists to be the logistics hub for operations in Helmand....
before a geosynthetic cell system
Cellular confinement
Cellular Confinement Systems are widely used in construction for erosion control, soil stabilization on flat ground and steep slopes, channel protection, and structural reinforcement for load support and earth retention...
called Neoweb was chosen. Neoweb is supplied flat but unfolds to form a hollow honeycomb structure that can be backfilled with aggregate and overlain with a wearing course. The specification of Neoweb allowed a 75 percent reduction in aggregate and a two-thirds cost saving compared to traditional road-building methods. The Neoweb layer acts as a semi-rigid slab foundation
Shallow foundation
A shallow foundation is a type of foundation which transfers building loads to the earth very near the surface, rather than to a subsurface layer or a range of depths as does a deep foundation...
and is designed to allow the surfacing layer to hold together under heavy vehicles and in harsh weather. The foundation also makes it harder for insurgents to plant IEDs under or in the road.
Construction
The construction of Route Trident was carried out by the British Army as part of Operation MoshtarakOperation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak was an ISAF pacification offensive in the area that is described as the "poppy-growing belt" of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. The combat operations started on February 13, 2010, and focuses on the Nad Ali District and Lashkar Gah district...
. The project manager appointed for the construction phase was Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
Dick Gale, who had deployed to Afghanistan specifically for this task. The works were carried out by 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron from the 28 Engineer Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Helen Ladd, which had been in the theatre since October 2009. The management team also included Major Brian Johnston and Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
Bernie Winter, who acted as foreman of plant
Construction foreman
A construction foreman is the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew. While traditionally this role has been assumed by a senior male worker, the title in the modern sense is gender non-specific in intent...
. A team of 70 local labourers and plant operator
Plant operator
A plant operator is a person who supervises the operation of an industrial plant. The term is usually applied to power plants or chemical plants such as gas extraction, petrochemical or oil refinery or other chemical processes....
s were employed under the "cash-for-work" scheme to supplement the sapper
Sapper
A sapper, pioneer or combat engineer is a combatant soldier who performs a wide variety of combat engineering duties, typically including, but not limited to, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defences, general construction and building, as well as road and airfield...
s from 23 Squadron.
Construction began at Gholam Dasagir Kalay in mid-December 2009 and progressed to the neighbouring village of Hajji Jamal Kalay and towards the patrol bases through agricultural land and desert. The project took three months to complete and soon came under attack; becoming the first road to be built by the Royal Engineers under fire since British operations against rebel forces in the Dhofar Rebellion
Dhofar Rebellion
The Dhofar Rebellion was launched in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, which had British support, from 1962 to 1976. It ended with the defeat of the rebels, but the state of Oman had to be radically reformed and modernised to cope with the campaign.-Background:In...
in southern Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
in the early 1970s. Methods of attack included small arms, rocket propelled grenade
Rocket propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system which fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable while others are single-use. RPGs, with the exception of...
s and IEDs; and the construction team came under attack, on average, every few days. The attacks meant that the engineers had to carry full arms, body armour and camouflage their surveying equipment when setting out
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
and undertaking reconnaissance for the road. In addition units from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards Battle Group and the Afghan National Army
Afghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
were brought in to provide protection. International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
(ISAF) and Afghan patrols in the area were also stepped up and unmanned drones engaged enemy combatants preparing to attack construction personnel.
The project encountered several problems not typically associated with road construction. Materials had to be brought in for the road from as far away as Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, in Pakistan, and the United Kingdom; and the work was carried out in 50 °C (122 °F) heat. The design was altered as a result of consultations with local Afghans, who wanted, for example, to route the road through villages where possible, to minimise the loss of agricultural land. The Taliban carried out direct attacks and used intimidation to deter workers; at least one was beaten and kidnapped. Despite these difficulties the first supply convoy travelled along the road on 10 March 2010, completing a journey that took 36 hours on the old road in just 30 minutes. The road was officially declared completed on 12 March 2010, and another convoy made the trip that day in just 25 minutes.
Impact
Completion of the road meant that supply aircraft could be replaced by land convoys and reallocated to other areas. In addition to its military benefit the road improved the local quality of life with shops, markets, a doctors surgery and a school being built alongside it. There was also an improved sense of security for people in the area, and more patrols were able to move along the road. Such was the feeling that one building contractor felt safe enough to return to Babaji from Lashkar Gah to offer his services to construct a permanent vehicle checkpoint for the route. The design and construction techniques used in the road were so successful that they are being rolled out to engineering projects across Helmand.Extension
There are plans to extend Route Trident north and south into the area secured by 11 Light Brigade during Operation Moshtarak. The extended road would link with existing routes to connect GereshkGereshk
Gereshk is a town in Gerishk District in Helmand province on the Helmand River in central Afghanistan, some northwest of Kandahar at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal. Gereshk was...
, the economic heart of Helmand, to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. This has been designated as provincial governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal's third highest priority for any activity in Helmand. The route would also provide access for Afghans to the hospitals in Gereshk and Lashkar Gah and has been described as a a "critical route to further operations in South Helmand". The extension will connect the region to the main Highway 1 road that connects many of Afghanistan's main cities.
As of 7 July 2010 the two construction battlegroups, working from each end of the new extension, were just 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) apart. The work proved to be challenging, with a large number of culverts having to be installed and high levels of insurgent activity in the area. One local contractor refused to work because of security issues, which resulted in the project being delayed from its original finish date of July to October 2010.
Responsibility for security of the road and its extension passed from the Coldstream Guards to the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group
Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Royal Gurkha Rifles are now the sole infantry regiment of the British Army Gurkhas...
(RGR) in April 2010. The battle group suffered a loss on 5 July 2010 when Trooper James Leverett of the Royal Dragoon Guards
Royal Dragoon Guards
The Royal Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments: The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards...
(RDG), attached to the RGR battle group, was killed after the Viking armoured vehicle
BvS 10
The BvS 10 is an All Terrain Armoured Vehicle produced by BAE Systems Land Systems Hagglunds of Sweden. This vehicle, referred to as the All Terrain Vehicle - ATV or VIKING by the UK forces, was originally developed as a collaboration between industry - Hägglunds Vehicle AB - and the UK Ministry...
he was travelling in was struck by an IED. Leverett was providing security for the road expansion when he was killed. Two further soldiers were killed during Route Trident security operations on 21 July 2010. The casualties were Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Matthew Stenton, also of the RDG, and Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
Stephen Monkhouse, of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. Their deaths occurred near Basharan, north of Lashkar Gah, after insurgents opened fire on a group of Coyote and Viking vehicles protecting an IED disposal and casualty evacuation.
By September there was said to be "steady progress" on the extension of the road with elements of 1 Troop of the 1st Armoured Engineer Squadron, 21 Engineer Regiment being brought in from Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to assist. Insurgent attacks had become an almost daily occurrence and halting work was said to be "the insurgents' main effort in [the] area". Operation Oqab Jarawel (in English: Eagle's Build) was launched in October 2010 to provide security for the extension of the route over the Loy Mandeh river. The operation involved elements of 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
working alongside Afghan forces to clear three villages of insurgents and set up new checkpoints to secure the area. The operation was highly successful, resulting in a 90% reduction in attacks in the area and allowing the new bridge to be built by the start of January 2011.
By early October 2010 Route Elephant, which will link with Trident and runs from Highway 1 to Lashkar Gah, was said to be very successful with a sixfold increase in traffic. As of mid-November 2010 Route Trident is still under construction.
The Route Trident extension between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk was reported as complete on April 15, 2011 and has cut journey times between the two centres from two weeks to just two-and-a-half hours and seen insurgent attacks drop by 90 per cent.