Doboj - One of the missions of the Hungarian Engineers Contingent is monthly checking of every SFOR bridge to see that it is in good shape. Two levels of inspections have been defined.
Inspection level 1 is a routine inspection, with a range finder to check that the installation is steady. When there is a single doubt, they proceed to the level 2 inspection which is more precise.

In the case of the Doboj III Bridge, problems had been found and repairs were deemed to be necessary. The bridge was closed therefore from June 23-25. Hungarian sappers were then able to get back to work on this 150-meter long structure that is familiar to them. Their unit had put it in place in 1998.

It was necessary to make repairs quickly because this Mabey & Johnson type bridge, spanning the Bosna River on the New Jersey route from Doboj to Tuzla, is the only one in the area to have a capacity of 60 tons. Any lengthy closure would have generated a lot of problems for trucks and armoured vehicles.

MND - North was in charge of the security, with American and Estonians guards working together. The actual Hungarian sapper team has recently been working on the same type of bridge in Brcko.
"The heat of the summer and the frequency of traffic on this obligatory passage point increased the expansion of the metal and the pressure on the tar surroundings," explained Maj. Zsiros Miklos, in charge of the team.

The team had to cut the tar access ramps, raise the bridge, check the fastenings and bolts, and then build some new concrete rails. The work in itself only took three days, but the tiles take a long time to dry. As soon as the work was finished, they informed the engineer branch in HQ SFOR Sarajevo that tasked them for this work so that the bridge could be officially. The Hungarians then departed for another site and more bridge maintenance.

Related links:
Nations of SFOR: Hungary
Engineering - bridge stories