• Safety assured under normal flood conditions: RDA  
• 27 bridges set for reconstruction

Bridges damaged during Cyclone Ditwah and later reopened to traffic are capable of withstanding normal rainfall and flooding conditions, according to the Road Development Authority (RDA). 

The RDA said that bridges were generally designed to withstand such conditions for around 100 years.

RDA Director General H.H.N.A. Hettiarachchi told The Sunday Morning that all but one of the bridges damaged during Cyclone Ditwah had been reopened, with work on the remaining Moragahakanda Bridge expected to commence shortly.

“Except for one, all other bridges have been reopened. Work on the remaining bridge – the Moragahakanda Bridge – will begin on Sunday (20),” he said.

Asked whether the reopened bridges could withstand the expected rainfall and weather conditions, Hettiarachchi said that there were no concerns at present regarding their stability and that they were not expected to encounter problems under normal weather and flooding conditions.

“There is no issue with the bridges at present, unless we experience an extreme event like Cyclone Ditwah. Normally, bridges are designed to endure for a period of around 100 years, whereas an event like Ditwah is a once-in-a-thousand-year occurrence. If something abnormal like that takes place, we cannot guarantee that nothing will happen. Under normal flooding conditions, however, there should be no issue,” he said.

RDA Additional Director General – Engineering Services Vasantha Kumar said that 14 bridges were being addressed under a financial grant, while a further 13 bridges were undergoing permanent reconstruction under Indian grant aid.  

He added that India had also provided Bailey bridges under a $ 5 million component to serve as temporary structures at locations where bridges had been damaged.

“Following Cyclone Ditwah, we made several bridge locations temporarily passable by using Indian Bailey bridges. Some of these bridges will eventually be replaced by permanent bridges,” Kumar said.

He noted that most of the locations where Bailey bridges had been installed were on roads that did not fall under the RDA.

“Except for one or two temporary bridges, all others were constructed on non-RDA roads,” Kumar said.

With the country entering another period of potentially unsettled weather, the RDA’s position is that the bridges currently in use can withstand normal rainfall and flooding.