Skip to main content

New bridge link for Sri Lanka

A new bridge spanning Sri Lanka’s Mahaweli River and close to the city of Kandy has been officially opened. The bridge link connects the neighbouring villages of Dodanwala and Halloluwa in Sri Lanka’s Central Province and was opened by Maithripala Sirisena, the country’s president. The bridge is nearly 105m long and replaces a 75 year old suspension bridge that was no longer fit for purpose. The old structure carried pedestrian traffic only while the new bridge carries two lanes of vehicle traffic, as well
January 10, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A new bridge spanning Sri Lanka’s Mahaweli River and close to the city of Kandy has been officially opened. The bridge link connects the neighbouring villages of Dodanwala and Halloluwa in Sri Lanka’s Central Province and was opened by Maithripala Sirisena, the country’s president. The bridge is nearly 105m long and replaces a 75 year old suspension bridge that was no longer fit for purpose. The old structure carried pedestrian traffic only while the new bridge carries two lanes of vehicle traffic, as well as having double cantilever foot walks. The new bridge is a modular steel type made from a Mabey Compact 200 system while the pedestrian provision is protected by the new Mabey SmartEdge System.

With the opening of the new bridge the distance to drive between the two villages will be reduced by 10km. The new link will also lower traffic volumes on other routes, as well as helping to increase tourism in the area, a sector on which Sri Lanka’s economy relies heavily.

Related Content

  • Study planned for Sri Lanka – India link
    July 21, 2015
    India plans to carry out the necessary feasibility study into the bridge and tunnel connection with Sri Lanka. India’s Transport Ministry has said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide the finance needed for the project, which is now expected to cost US$3.6 billion. According to India’s Transport Ministry the bridge and tunnel link with Sri Lanka forms part of a plan to boost the country’s connections with its neighbours. The new over sea crossing will provide an important connection to a count
  • Bridge engineering worldwide
    July 1, 2013
    Guy Woodford looks at vital bridge construction, repair and inspection projects in China, Europe, North America and Australia The Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada is a vital link within the City’s transport network, as it crosses the Rideau River, which divides the east and west parts of the City. Constructed in 1966-1967, the Heron Road Bridge is approximately 275m long and includes six lanes.
  • Tappan Zee takedown into the Hudson River
    January 17, 2019
    A controlled explosion demolished the eastern span of the old cantilever Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River near New York City. The bridge, nearly 5km long, was opened in 1955 to carry traffic between the southern New England area and other regions west of the Hudson. Around 140,000 vehicles used the bridge daily. But the old bridge had deteriorated substantially and would have been too expensive to maintain or keep open for lighter traffic use. It became redundant after the new bridge of the
  • Tasmanian bridge proposal faces controversy
    October 27, 2020
    The design proposal for a new Tasmanian bridge project faces controversy.