Infrastructure development on course in EP

All highways and bridges connecting the main towns of the Eastern Province have been constructed or are under construction. Travel time between Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa has reduced to one hour. It takes less than two hours to travel to Trincomalee by bus. Carpeted roads connect coastal tourist destinations such as Pasikuda and Arugam Bay, national parks such as Lahugala, Kumana, Panama and inland towns such as Ampara.

Construction of the Kalladi bridge across the Batticaloa lagoon, one of the largest projects in the province is now under way.

Project manager K.W.G. Kumarasiri said that the construction work on this 288 metre-long and 14 metre-wide bridge will be completed by February next year. It was scheduled to completed by the end of this year.

The State Development and Construction Corporation (SDSCC), commenced construction work on the bridge in December 2010.

The project a Rs.1,300 m investment is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The old Kaladi bridge constructed in 1921, the landmark of Batticaloa town, has dilapidated with age and natural disasters such as the tsunami. Its narrowness creates traffic blocks on the Batticaloa-Ampara road.

- GW