[5] He changed allegiances to the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna prior to the next election in 1956, where he successfully retained his seat, increasing his margin to almost 60%.
The Prime Minister, Dudley Senanayake then appointed Samaraweera as the Chairman of the Kantale Sugar Corporation, an important State institution at the time.
The Mahanama Bridge that runs over the Nilawala river and connects two sections of Matara, is named after Samaraweera as it was a project initiated by him (though completed posthumously).
The original bridge was updated, widened, and strengthened following the 2004 tsunami through a project initiated by his son Mangala with funding from the Korean government.
They had three children: Jaimini (an architect); Jayanthi Chandani (travel director and political activist); and Mangala Samaraweera cabinet minister and Member of Parliament for Matara.