Construction of new bridges across the Kelani River has accelerated, especially to ease traffic congestion in Colombo and its suburbs. The benefits of the new Kelani Bridge Project, which will be built by connecting a six-lane bridge, are immense for Sri Lanka itself. These new projects will pave the way for an efficient service to the port transport system in the Colombo Commercial City. Reducing fuel consumption will minimize environmental damage. This will reduce the chances of accidents as well as speed up the time to reach the destination and provide psychological relief to the passengers.
The cost of the new Kelani Bridge at Peliyagoda, the first bridge to run on high-tech cables, is Rs. 4148.9 million. Despite the COVID-19 status, the project is nearing completion and will be open to the public in July. The new Kelani Bridge Project, which provides such relief, is being implemented with the financial assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This project is a great community service not just aimed at providing transportation facilities. The new Kelani Bridge project centering on the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway and the Peliyagoda Bridge Junction will end at the Orugodawatta Junction and Port Access Road.
The bridge has six lanes from the end of the Colombo – Katunayake Expressway to the Bandaranaike Roundabout and will be four lanes from there on to Orugodawatta, Ingurukade Junction, and the Port entrance. The length of the bridge section across the Kelani River is 380 meters. The bridge is being constructed in two packages. The first package, the steel output bridge section, will cost Rs. 31,593 million, while the second package, the concrete suspension bridge section, will cost Rs. 9,896 million. The project is expected to be completed by next year and the travel time between Colombo and the Kelani Bridge is only 10 minutes.