India has airlifted a Bailey Bridge system to replace a destroyed bridge and restore connectivity as Sri Lanka recovers from the effects of Cyclone Ditwah.
The bridge was brought to Colombo in an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster miliary transport, along with engineers to assemble it, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.
The system and can be installed within a few hours to replace damaged bridges, significantly strengthening relief access and mobility for emergency services, in landslide and flood-hit areas, the statement said.
Cyclone Ditwah had damaged 15 bridges across larger highways of the island, the Road Development Authority had said.
The Bailey Bridge was designed by a British civil servant Donald Bailey during World War II, using the principles of truss bridges, with technical input from Ralph Fredman. and is a simplified truss bridge.
The first models were built with part from Braithewaite and Company, which also had a subsidiary in India (later nationalized).
The Bailey Bridge and was extensively used in the World War II.