Japan provides Rs 990m for Manampitiya bridge

THE Japanese Government has provided a grant of Japanese Yen 1,043 million (approximately Rs. 990 million) for the construction of a new highway bridge at Manampitiya across the Mahaweli River.

The old Manampitiya Bridge, constructed in 1922, is a rail-cum-road bridge and hence causes delays to road traffic when a train crosses the bridge, a Finance and Planning Ministry release said yesterday.

The project is to construct a new bridge with accessory facilities and approach roads connected to the existing A - 11 road i.e. Maradankadawala - Trikkandimadu road.

The construction of the new bridge will ensure smooth traffic flow along the A 11 Road, which is the main access road to the Eastern Province.

According to the preliminary design, the length of the bridge is 302 meters and the width is 10.4 meters. Approximately 904,000 families residing in and around Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa districts will directly benefit from the construction of the bridge and related infrastructure.

The Japanese Government has already provided grant assistance amounting to Japanese Yen 35 million this year to prepare detailed designs of the new bridge.

The detailed design is expected to be finalised by May 2005 and the construction works of the bridge and approach roads will be completed over a three year period. The Road Development Authority will be the implementing agency of this project.

The signing of exchange of letters pertaining to the grant was held at the Ministry of Finance and Planning yesterday. Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Akio Suda signed the Exchange of Letters on behalf of the Government of Japan while Finance and Planning Ministry Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera signed on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government. Sujatha Cooray, Director-General of External Resources Department and Yuji Miyahara, First Secretary, Economic Cooperation, Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka also participated.