Hawaii witnesses demonstration of 'instant' causeway

<p>New system takes less people, time to set up, transport equipment</p><p>WAIPAHU PENINSULA, Hawaii - Military and community members gathered here to witness the first official demonstration of the Lightweight Modular Causeway System (LMCS), Sept. 15. </p><p>Soldiers from 45th Sustainment Brigade and the 331st Causeway Company from Fort Eustis, Va., joined forces to present the prototype LMCS, which was transported by Logistics Support Vessel 5. </p><p>Developed by a joint Department of Defense and industry team, the inflatable-bridge system, which is much easier to transport and deploy, may be used in the future to assist in warfighting missions and to conduct humanitarian aid missions. </p><p> "(The LMCS) can go where we currently can't go due to Mother Nature or enemy forces," said Don Resio, technical manager and senior scientist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center. </p><p> "It's easy to deploy; it's almost instant, fast and efficient," said Spc. Christian Giggy, a watercraft engineer with the 331st Causeway Co. </p><p>In reality, "almost instant" amounts to approximately three hours using a team of seven Soldiers, which is a huge improvement for those who have worked with the other systems. </p><p> "The LMCS is too easy, much easier than deploying the Marginal Causeway System. It takes less crew, less work, and less manual labor," said Spc. Matthew Mitchener, a watercraft engineer with the 331st Causeway Co. "I found it pretty exciting to work on something the Army is still testing." </p><p>However, Resio, who contributed to the concept and design of the LMCS, claims the system is not perfect - yet. </p><p> "It's a little like the Wright Brothers' plane; it will be improved and improved upon in the years to come," he said.</p>