A 240-foot Bailey Bridge on the Chilaw–Thoduwawa Road, connecting the coastal villages of Thoduwawa and Iranawila, was inaugurated on Wednesday (18) under India’s post-Ditwah reconstruction assistance programme. The bridge restores a vital road link along the coastal corridor connecting Colombo to Puttalam via Chilaw. This is the longest extra-wide Bailey Bridge installed by India in Sri Lanka as part of the post-cyclone Ditwah reconstruction efforts. The Bridge is 240 feet long and 13 feet wide, constructed as a double-reinforced Bailey Bridge with an intermediate support pier. 

The project forms part of a consignment of Bailey Bridge components weighing about 214 tons that arrived in Colombo in February 2026 under the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Package of United States Dollars ($) 450 million announced by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar following Ditwah. Out of this package, a grant of $ 30 million has been allocated specifically for Bailey and permanent bridges. The Bridge has been constructed by the Indian Army’s Engineer Task Force in coordination with the Sri Lanka Army and the Road Development Authority. 

Around 15 Bailey Bridges are planned to be constructed in the coming weeks.