After the breach, the 130th moved into Iraq. They provided support for the divisions as they advanced along the path to Baghdad. When a large sandstorm grounded aviation and large dust clouds became a problem, the brigade repurposed oil for use in dust abatement around airfields, allowing the 101st's fleet of AH-64 Apaches to take off and engage Iraqi ground forces on 24 March. Retreating Iraqi units detonated many bridges to slow the 3rd Infantry Division's advance. The 130th Engineers conducted rapid repairs to allow the brigades to continue to move through. The brigade supported combat elements moving through An Najaf, clearing roads and pathways of debris and obstacles to allow rapid movement through the city. The 565th Engineer Battalion built the "birthday bridge" – the longest float bridge constructed in a combat theatre with a span of 580 meters – over the Tigris River in Tikrit on Saddam Hussein's birthday, 28 April 2003.