Japan is providing a 1.2 billion Japanese Yen (about Rs 1.6 billion) grant to reconstruct five aging bridges in the Eastern Province.
An agreement to this effect was signed by Japanese Ambassador Kunio Takahashi, Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, and Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Akira Shimura in Colombo on Thursday.
Under the agreement, four bridges between Padiyathalawa and Eravur on the A5 in Maha Oya and Eravurpattu DS Divisions and the Panichankerny bridge and causeway on the A15 (Trincomalee-Batticaloa Road) will be reconstructed.
The existing bridges which have been constructed some 60 years ago are in a dilapidated state since maintenance and repairs could not be carried out during decades of conflict, according to a JICA press release.
To gain the benefit of the widening, the bridges which are now traffic bottlenecks have to be reconstructed according to current national standards for two-lane traffic as well.
“We hope this assistance will contribute to improving connectivity within and among the provinces, and will provide better access for residents of the Eastern Province to socio-economic facilities,” said Mr Shimura. JICA is currently the largest donor to the road sector in Sri Lanka. |
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