The scheme involves building steel and concrete bridges with lengths from 6m to 30m to replace temporary rope crossings that get washed away in rain and flooding.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet had approved the project in 2011 but there were delays in securing financing.

The UK’s Export Credits Guarantee Department is now partly funding the three-year project with a loan of US$53m.

Cleveland Bridge will ship the first steel sections in July and a team from the company will visit Sri Lanka shortly to assist local engineers.