BRIDGE ACROSS SUEZ CANAL

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24028, 17 August 1943, Page 3

BRIDGE ACROSS SUEZ CANAL

; REPAIR WORK BY NEW ZEALAND ENGINEERS CAIRO, August 6. Bridge building is ill in the day’s work for New Zealand engineers, but one unit has recently had fin assignment on an unusual bridge, to which can be attributed a not insignificant share in last year’s successful stand against the Axis troops at Alamein. It is a floating bridge across the Suez Canal, which links Egypt with Palestine and the Levant. The antique ferries which carried an occasional tourist across the canal before the war would have been swamped with the job of conveying the constant convoys of war-time traffic. The obvious solution was a floating bridge, which could open for marine traffic, and would have the added advantage of being easily replaceable in the event of destruction by the enemy. More tha:, two years ago such a bridge was built, and has proved highly efficient, particularly when the New Zealand Division and other formations had to- be rushed through from Syria at the time of Rommel’s drive against Egypt last year. It was recently decided that the bridge should be replaced by a temporary structure, while the pontoons were float d down the canal to a special workshop, where they could be careened for cleaning. The job of floating off the old sections and replacing them was given to a New Zealand engineer unit, which overcame the attendant difficulties and completed the work in quick time Now only the two approach spans remain of the original bridge which was more than 500 feet long Box girder spans have been run out irom the approaches to short fixed floating spans on either side. On to these sections are hinged the main floating spans, consisting of heavy decking resting on pontoons, which can be winched round to anchoring platforms hen the bridge is opened. An interesting feature of the job has been the fact that the New Zealanders for the first time worked with native Belgian pioneer troops from the Belgian f ongo, officered by Belgians who were mainly employed in the Congo at the outbreak of war, although one was an escapee from occupied Belgium.