Four lanes on Bentara bridge

The preplanned four-lane bridge at Bentara was reduced to two lanes by the Ranil Wickremesinghe regime, said Minister of Highways and Road Development T.B. Ekanayake at Nagoda Galle.

Minister Ekanayake was speaking after inaugurating the construction work of the new bridge connecting Nagoda and Gammaddegoda via Ginganga.

This iron bridge is constructed at the request of Piyasena Gamage, Minister of Vocational and Technical Training and the SLFP Chief Organiser of Hiniduma. A sum of Rs. 80 million from funds from the British Government is to be spent on the project.

This bridge will be constructed immediately. The plan has been prepared and sent to UK. This bridge with a breath of 10 feet will cost Rs. 80 million. It will not take much time to construct. We hope to open it before the Sinhala New Year of 2009.

Never in our history has a Government launched so many development programs. In the past the Ministry of Highways reconstructed only A and B grade roads.

Our Government has established true democracy. Many roads of the East have now been constructed. A huge bridge and culverts were constructed to transport, food and rations for the displaced people of the East under the Government’s humanitarian effort.

The first 21 km length of the 41 km road from Nadunkerani to Mullaitivu has been constructed. All the roads of the Jaffna district are to be repaired. Ranil Wickremesinghe had changed the plan of the Bentara bridge for the sake of the hotel. Our Government has planned four lanes on the Bentara bridge.

Piyasena Gamage, Minister of Vocational and Technical Training said this is the project which I did my best to launch. The people of this area were deceived by several people. But I have the ambition to somehow do this.

It is a pleasure to see my ambition fulfilled. We are constructing 14 new bridges instead of 14 existing wire bridges. I did my best to do this when the President was the Minister of Highways.

The Engineer who first came here to prepare the plan of the bridge went back because there was no accessible road to the river. We were able to construct an accessible road to the river with the consent of the land owners.

This foundation stone was laid to construct the bridge. With the construction of this bridge Nagoda junction will become a commercial city. The 15 km distance will be reduced to 5 km. The progress of the country is reflected by its road network.

Minister of Food and Co-operatives of the Southern Province, U.G.D. Ariyathilaka, Chairman Southern Provincial Council, I. Wijewantha, SP Members, Nishantha Muthuhettige and Chamli Withanachchi and General Manager of the Road Development Authority, Ranjith Premasiri also spoke.