Skip to main content

New bridge spanning Kelani River in Sri Lanka

Work is underway in Sri Lanka on a new bridge spanning the Kelani River. The Japan International Cooperation Agency is supplying funding worth some US$344.4 million for the bridge project, which is intended to improve transport connections to and from capital Colombo. The project is facing design challenges as the river is prone to flooding. As a result the design of the bridge features a thick deck and short towers, but without any piers. The 380m long structure will carry six lanes of traffic, with three
April 8, 2014 Read time: 1 min
Work is underway in Sri Lanka on a new bridge spanning the Kelani River. The 3349 Japan International Cooperation Agency is supplying funding worth some US$344.4 million for the bridge project, which is intended to improve transport connections to and from capital Colombo. The project is facing design challenges as the river is prone to flooding. As a result the design of the bridge features a thick deck and short towers, but without any piers. The 380m long structure will carry six lanes of traffic, with three in either direction. Once the bridge is complete it is expected to cut journey times as drivers will be able to use this link rather than a longer route involving crossing bridges some distance away at Orugodawatte.

Related Content

  • Japan investing in Ugandan roads
    January 31, 2014
    Japanese investment is helping develop Ugandan infrastructure. Construction of the New Nile Bridge is being part-financed by the Japanese Government. Some US$90 million for the dual-lane bridge is being provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The bridge forms part of the important Northern Transport Corridor of East Africa, which runs from the Port of Mombasa in Kenya through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This route is vital for Uganda’s economy, as
  • Winning formula for formwork
    July 19, 2012
    An unusual application of formwork took place recently in France, while formwork using one particular engineering construction kit was used for the first time in Poland. Guy Woodford reports An 80m long wild game underpass is an innovative feature of the Route Nationale 88 (RN 88) expansion in south-west France. For construction of the arched underpass tunnel, a PERI tunnel formwork carriage using VARIOKIT engineering construction kit was used. Thanks to the equipment’s easy handling, along with pre-assembl
  • Tunnel project of Chilean capital Santiago
    April 8, 2015
    Tunnel construction in Chilean capital Santiago will help cut chronic congestion – Mauro Nogarin & Mike Woof write. Chile’s capital Santiago is a thriving city having benefited from the country’s economy growing strongly in recent years. The massive copper mining sector has helped boost the country’s GDP significantly in the past few decades, also aided by the growing international reputation of Chile’s large wine industry. The steady economic growth has resulted in an equally steady growth in average incom
  • Formwork plays a leading role in global infrastructure projects
    June 13, 2012
    New and highly regarded existing formwork systems have been used in major recent transport-related construction projects across the globe. Guy Woodford looks at some of their applications The multi-million dollar Mississippi River Bridge project in the United State is creating a vital new gateway between Illinois and Missouri. Central to the project is the realignment and reconstruction of Interstate 70 and a new landmark bridge, featuring two pylons projecting vertically from the Mississippi river bed w