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| Sunday, 22 May 2005 |
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Southern expressway to boost economic sectors The new Southern Expressway will shorten the current journey from Colombo to Matara of four hours by one and half hours facilitating less traffic jams on the current highway. Agriculture, fisheries and tourist industries will have easier access to the Galle Port and the southern province, thereby creating industrial development and new markets locally and internationally. Work on the expressway began in March 2003 and is targeted to finish by April 2007. The project on completion is estimated to cost between Rs. 33 to Rs. 35 billion of which Rs. 4.5 billion alone is for land compensation. The expressway is the longest in Sri Lanka with a distance of 126 kilometres and another five kilometres for access to Galle on completion. Ninety- six kilometres will be from Kottawa to Galle and 30 kilometres from Galle to Matara. Fifty five kilometres of the expressway is already cleared and under construction with seven road bridges and two river bridges. The work is being carried out in three contract packages. Work is in progress on the Kurundugahahetekma to Godagama and Galle Port Access Road. Contractors have been selected for civil works and land acquisition work is in progress on the Kottawa to Dodangoda and Dodangoda to Kurundugahahetekma sections of the expressway. Forty- two per cent of civil works has been completed. Key junctions impacting positively on commerce and travel on this expressway will consist of Kottawa, Kahatuduwa, Galanigama, Dodangoda, Kurudugaha, Baddegama, Pinnaduwa, Deegoda, Kokmaduwa and Godagama. The key benefits to the country will include reduced travel time,
regional development and easy access to the southern ports and foreign
investment to Sri Lanka. |
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