Challenge

Following the huge success of the Regional Bridge Project (Phase 1) which concluded during  2013, the national government of Sri Lanka was still in need of considerable quantity of bridges to be built throughout the island to further improve the road infrastructure and economic boost.

Solution

As a testament to its quality of delivery and that of its local partners, Mabey was proud to have been selected to deliver Phase 2 of this prestigious project.

In September 2013, the Ministry of Education and Highways representing the government of Sri Lanka entered into another contract with Mabey for the design, manufacture and supply of goods and provision of associated services, amounting to £45m.

Result

Between 2013 and 2016 Mabey supplied 80 bridges in total. These consisted of 2 composite bridges, 16 temporary Mabey Compact 200™ bridges and 47 permanent bridges. Another 4 bridges were also built using temporary stock.

Of these bridges, the most iconic bridge is perhaps the Polduwa Bridge (see photo bottom right), which was constructed as part of Phase 2 and was opened in 2014. Built on the shores of the Diyawanna Lake, the Bridge was designed to accommodate Colombo city bound traffic and features a steel superstructure incorporating a traditional reinforced concrete deck and two architectural arches, which have made the structure a landmark in its own right.

Overall, the success of the Sri Lanka project was achieved through working effectively with local bodies; perhaps most important of all are the relationships between Mabey site advisors and local contractors, who are a diverse range of private, semi-government and government entities registered under the Institution of Construction Training and Development. Mabey has provided technical assistance to all contractors and is working in partnership with Access Engineering PLC on the construction of all flyovers – all of which have been built in record time.