The Netherlands has approved a grant of EUR 730,000 to support the ongoing Design and Construction of Rural Bridges Project in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development announced.
The grant will help meet additional financing needs of the project and further strengthen the long-standing development cooperation between the two countries.
The Rural Bridges Project aims to build 162 bridges across rural areas of Sri Lanka, improving connectivity, mobility, and the quality of life for local communities. As of September 2025, the project has reached 96% physical progress, with 151 bridges already completed. The remaining bridges are expected to be completed by February 2026, marking the successful conclusion of the initiative.
Initially, the Sri Lankan government entered into a loan agreement with Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. of the Netherlands for EUR 41.8 million, covering 75% of the project’s cost. The remaining 25% (EUR 13.9 million) was funded through a grant from the Netherlands Foreign Investment Bank, Invest International.
Given Sri Lanka’s economic challenges, the Netherlands increased its grant contribution in 2024 to cover about 35% of the total project cost, adding approximately EUR 5.3 million. This adjustment also enabled the partial cancellation of the undisbursed loan balance, easing the country’s debt burden.
With the latest EUR 730,000 grant, total Dutch grant assistance for the project now stands at EUR 18.9 million, representing around 37% of the total project cost, the Ministry confirmed.
