Peace bridge to unite a people

Sri Lanka’s longest bridge across the Mahaveli Ganga

This is Sri Lanka’s longest bridge built so far, the Manampitiya Peace Bridge declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 25.

The 302 metre long and 10.4 metre wide bridge built across the Mahaveli Ganga links the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the country thus facilitating easy accessibility and greater mobility between the provinces.

Constructed exclusively for vehicular traffic, the new bridge will be vital in accommodating the high volume of traffic on the A11 thereby contributing to the overall improvement of the infrastructure and economic growth in the country.

The adjacent roads have also been re-done to suit the geographical requirements of the bridge.

The old Manampitiya Bridge had been ineffective in coping with the volume of traffic crossing the bridge. The steel bridge was built in 1922 as a rail-cum-road bridge and was used by around 3600 vehicles daily.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency implemented the project in collaboration with the Road Development Authority. The total cost of the bridge was Rs. 1.3 billion.