New telecommunications center set for Baghad

A 13-story 1600-ton rectangular concrete stairwell, the last remnant of the old Al Mamoon Exchange and Telecommunication Center located near in Baghdad, was removed Saturday to make room for a new seven-story telecommunications building on the nearly 230 by 442 foot site.

"(The) facility will be a visual symbol that Iraq is connected to the global community," said Karem, a GRD resident engineer in Baghdad's International Zone.

The Ministry of Communication offices will be located there as well as a nearly 14,000-square-foot post office. The structure will also feature a 200-seat auditorium, a cafeteria capable of serving 150 people, an exhibition hall, numerous conference rooms, several floors of communication switch gear, a 250-car covered garage and a loading dock for two trucks.

"This will provide Iraqis reliable communication. It will definitely be a focal point for the city of Baghdad," Karem said.

The 134-foot-high new structure is expected to be completed next year. More than 70 Iraqis are on the crew and that number will soon grow to about 400 Iraqi laborers.

"The facility will be the heart of Baghdad's telecommunication system," said 1st Lt. Dawn Harrison, Project Engineer at GRC's International Zone Resident Office. Of the 115 projects she and her fellow engineers oversee valued at $368 million, the Al Mamoon $22.7 million Iraqi Relief and Reconstrucion Fund project is one of the largest.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq

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