The Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, H.E. Christine Robichon, and Ministry of Economic Development of Sri Lanka, Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, inaugurated five new bridges on October 19, 2011. The construction of those major bridges (between 85 and 315meters) on the A15 road between Thirukkodiyamadu and Trincomalee is part of a more comprehensive Tincomalee Integrated Infrastructure Project funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) with a very soft loan amounting to 79 million euros.
The project focuses on the construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructures damaged by the 2004 Tsunami in the district of Trincomalee, such as roads, water supply networks, electricity transport network, and community social infrastructures (schools, libraries, medical centres, etc).
The road component of the project includes, besides the bridges, the reconstruction of 151 km on the A15 road between Trincomalee and Thirukkodiyamadu, the B10 road between Kantale and the seashore and the C-Class coastal road of Trincomalee district. The reconstruction and upgrade of the road network in the Eastern Province with France support through this project marks a great improvement for the traffic in the Eastern Province and is crucial for promoting investments. It will have thus a strong and lasting impact on local economic development.
France is proud to have contributed to the development of this region, struck by natural disasters and a conflict that lasted for more than two decades. In the future, France is keen to strengthen its support to the development of Sri Lanka in the framework of AFD’s new mandate to promote green and inclusive growth.
The first project financed under this new mandate will be the Jaffna and Kilinochchi Water Supply and Sanitation Project, aimed at providing access to water to 300 000 people and sewerage infrastructures to 100 000 people. Indirect impacts will benefit to 9,000 farmers’ families. AFD will co-finance 35 M Euros of this project, together with the Government of Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank.
