Traffic Restored on 300 of 316 Blocked Roads

 Traffic has now been restored on 300 of the 316 roads damaged by the recent 'Ditwa' cyclone that affected the country, stated Mr. Wimal Kandambi, the new Director General of the Road Development Authority.

All roads in the Central Province, which reported the most damage from the disaster, have now been opened. However, some of these roads are only temporarily repaired, he pointed out. It is expected that approximately 69 billion rupees will be spent to fully develop and restore these roads to their original condition.

Due to this natural disaster, 40 bridges were destroyed, and 36 of them have now been opened for traffic. However, these bridges will need to be fully repaired in the future, and over 100 billion rupees will be spent in collaboration with the National Building Research Organisation to conserve landslide-affected areas, the Director General stated.

For the restoration of damages in the Nuwara Eliya district, 100 million rupees have been estimated for emergency repairs and 120 million rupees for the establishment of a Bailey bridge. Furthermore, approximately 14 billion rupees are estimated to be required for the repair of severely damaged roads, culverts, and retaining walls, and steps are being taken to expedite all these activities, he further emphasized.