the lone shell

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"/ Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,/ But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,/ Write me as one who loves his fellow men."
James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

So how does one make a road over an area dominated by the effects of water? One way is to raise the road above the sabkha, on an embankment called an Irish bridge in the industry. This is a costly, time consuming affair, and the other, easier and less expensive option is an Irish crossing, where the road is kept to the same level as the ground. Here, it is protected by a low concrete wall (that extends below the surface of the road, not above), which is, in turn, protected by a layer of rock that runs parallel. This allows water to flow over the road, while protecting its sides from being washed away. Irish crossings might be considered for areas that have a low probability of flooding – the stray incidents that might occur once in a while might not warrant the cost of building a raised wall underneath.

Such foundations are a world away from where we are now – in the desert without roads. We get stuck, of course, but it’s all part of the experience, and in the hours it takes to crawl out we can decide who’s fault it is. How does one stay on top of sand in a heavy vehicle? Everyone in Strabag has his own answer, and they’re all correct (they all get stuck in the sand too). Stefan Altziebler, the general manager, does what everyone should, and just steps on the gas, revving through. Majoe Mathew, after three years on site, says, “You have to know where to stop – find hard ground (the colour of the sand will indicate this), or stop facing downhill.” And Obaid? He puffed on his pipe and said we had the right car with the wrong tyres. “With sand tyres, no problem – Land Cruiser number one.”

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