Six new road projects have been launched by Premiere Mahinda Rajapaksa, to ease traffic flow in the towns of Colombo and Kandy.
Speaking after virtually inaugurating the construction work, the Prime Minister said the Government was ready to face challenges, be it pandemic or floods, to serve people with improved development under the President’s ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour.’
Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando commented saying that this project aligns with the President Gotabaya’s ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ manifesto as well as his sustainable development goals. According to MP Fernando budgetary allocations have been made, to ease traffic congestion in some of the main cities in Sri Lanka.
The six projects include five new flyovers and a four-lane elevated expressway extending from the New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya.
Details on key locations, funding agents and costs for the project are as follows:
Project: The four-lane elevated expressway
Length and location: 16.4 km project from the New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya. Cost: an estimated cost of Rs. 134.9 billion
Goal: to reduce the heavy traffic congestion caused by vehicles coming into Colombo via Battaramulla, Kaduwela and Athurugiriya as well as the Southern Expressway.
Key Areas:
- The expressway will commence from the New Kelani Bridge and run through Kolonnawa, Rajagiriya, Buthgamuwa, Battaramulla, Koswatte, Pothu Arawa and Hokandara to the Outer Circular Expressway.
- There will be interchanges in Orugodawatta, Rajagiriya, Koswatte, Hokandara and Dematagoda, connecting with Baseline Road.
- There will be another interchange in Athurugiriya linking the elevated expressway to the Outer Circular Expressway.
The project will be completed in 36 months and the China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC) has been contracted to construct the expressway.
Project : flyovers at the Kohuwala junction
Length and location: the overhead bridge will be 217.3 m in length and 9.4 m wide, overarching a four-lane traffic light-controlled road connecting Nugegoda and Kalubowila.
Funding agent: will be provided financial aid from Hungary.
Cost: the flyover in Kohuwala will be contracted at a cost of Rs. 2.6 billion.
Time period: the project is expected to be completed in 22 months.
Project : the flyover at Getambe junction
Cost: Getambe junction
Length and location:
It will be 396.7 m in length, with its branch-flyover 285 m long.
- the width of the flyover will be covered in three segments; the main flyover will be 9.40 m wide
- the total width along with the branch-flyover will be 12.9 m.
- the width of the branch-flyover from Kandy to Peradeniya will be 6.4 m.
Time period: the project is expected to be completed in 28 months.
Project : the flyover at Justice Akbar Mawatha, Uttarananda Mawatha and another connecting flyover
Length:
- the flyover at Justice Akbar Mawatha will be 207 m in length and 8.4 m wide.
- the flyover at Uttarananda Mawatha will be 396 m long and 10.4 m wide.
- the flyover connecting the two flyovers (mentioned above) will be 310 m long and 6.9 m wide.
Cost:The total cost for these three flyovers is estimated at Rs. 5.3 billion.
Contractor: Maga Engineering Ltd. contracted to build it.
Time period: it is expected to be completed within 12 months.
Project: flyover across Beira Lake and Slave Island Railway Station
Length and location: flyover across Beira Lake and Slave Island Railway Station, connecting Bala Daksha Mawatha and Chittampalam A. Gardner Mawatha will be 360 m in length and 11 m wide.
Cost: the total construction cost is estimated at Rs. 2.7 billion
Contractor: Access Engineering PLC
Time period: the project is expected to be completed in 12 months.
Furthermore, commenting on other matters Premiere Rajapake said that the government was prepared to face any challenge, be it economic,environmental, social or a health related pandemic. He urged the public to bear with and adhere to travel restrictions to help mitigate the impact of the health crisis on the economy and the country as a whole.
