President Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced plans to construct 250 new bridges across Sri Lanka to enhance road connectivity and maximize the benefits of national development projects for rural communities.
President Wickremesinghe emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the living conditions of people in areas connected by these bridges, underscoring the importance of ensuring that the benefits of economic development reach the poorest segments of society.
The President highlighted the government’s goal to reduce multidimensional poverty to 10% by focusing on rural communities and emphasized the critical role of infrastructure projects in rural areas in achieving this objective.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe made the remarks marking the successful completion of 750 rural bridges by Janson Bridging International from the Netherlands from 2014-2024.
“We are here to witness the completion of 750 bridges constructed by Janson Bridging. This is a formidable task that they have successfully accomplished. I am familiar with the areas where these rural bridges were built. While bridges are easier to construct than highways, they were nevertheless constructed in remote and difficult places. These bridges collectively enhance the living conditions of the connected areas.
“Connectivity is crucial over rivers, over bridges, and even in terms of speed. This extensive network of connectivity enables us to transport goods to the main highways and send them to Colombo or other major cities. This project is significant, and we aim to complete another 250 bridges, making it a total of 1,000.
“Why is this necessary? The poverty rate in our country has increased from about 15% in 2019 to over 25%. We are committed to reducing it to 10% by 2032. The agreement signed with the IMF is not just about statistics; as the economy develops, we must ensure it benefits the poorest of the poor. Our goal is to reduce multidimensional poverty to 10%, focusing on those in rural areas,” he said.
Stating that connectivity projects like this help reach this target, President Wickremesinghe said the economic and social benefits are evident and that Sri Lanka will see the impact within five years of the project’s completion.
The completed 750 bridges help in improving accessibility and fostering development in various rural parts of Sri Lanka, underscoring the collaborative efforts between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands in infrastructure development.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude to the government of the Netherlands for their support in this endeavour.
At the event to mark the completion of the project, President Wickremesinghe and the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka Bonnie Horbach were presented with a plaque.
This commemorative plaque marked the 10th anniversary of Janson Bridging International and celebrated the successful completion of 750 bridges in Sri Lanka over the past decade. (Newswire)