The Kabul to Kandahar Road Deemed Most Dangerous Site
The road from Kabul to Kandahar is being billed by the U.S. and the fledgling transitional government in Afghanistan as a showcase infrastructure reconstruction project. But for the engineers of East Orange, N.J.-based Louis Berger Group Inc. and their Afghan, Turkish, Indian and Pakistani contractors, the 482-km road refurbishing job is turning into what some say is the most dangerous construction project in the world.
The design and construction team has had to deal with kidnappings, shootings, a harsh climate and an inflexible schedule at an incredibly remote site. Political stability is nonexistent as local warlords vie with Taliban and Al Qaeda strongmen for control.