RDA in new road network combine

By Deepal Warnakulasuriya

I know, it is the same problem you face every morning. The traffic jam which delays your reporting to your office on time. Now, there is no need to worry as the government has made arrangements to make your journey a pleasant one with new roads, expressways, bridges and fly-overs.

Can you believe there will be a fly-over taking you across from Malabe junction to the Galle Face. You by now must have used the fly-overs along Baseline road or the one at Ragama. But, the Road Development Authority (RDA) Chairman B. S. F. Fernando says that a Malaysian company is working on a feasibility study on the construction of the Malabe-Galle Face fly-over.

Kottawa-Matara Expressway (Southern Expressway) which was initially planned for a distance of 126 kms, in three stages is now on its final stage. A 5km road with direct access to the Galle Port is attached to the master plan. Kottawa to Kurundugaha Hatapma road comes in four lanes with financial assistance of the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). From Dodangoda to Kurundugaha Hatapma section was initially planned to be a two lane one, but with future requirements in mind, has been altered to four lanes.

Kurundugaha Hatapma to Matara section is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Almost all the lands which are necessary to complete the project have been acquired and compensations have been paid already, said RDA Chairman Fernando. "We have also paid 25 per cent more to those who had vacated the lands before the given date. In addition they were also given resettlement packages to overcome transit expenses. "We have also arranged to reimburse their income sources for a period of three years. The tenants were also provided with all the facilities", added Fernando.

The proposed Colombo-Kandy Highway is another one which will be a new road entirely which runs for over a stretch of 98 kms. A Malaysian investor will fund the road constructions from Colombo to Ambepussa. The government has to raise the funds for the balance from Ambepussa to Kandy. The investor has also agreed to pay compensation to the displaced on an agreement after settling his capital from the toll money, to be collected from road users for a period of 20 years.

Colombo-Katunayake Express way is another road development project to be administered by the RDA. The construction work of the 25.6 kms long road commenced 10 years ago, but due to several inexplicable reasons, it took a snail's pace. The Korean company had completed the soil improvement process. The second contractor for the project also failed in obtaining his loan and gave up. Now, a French company has come forward and are to complete the project at a cost of US$ 25 million. Their technical proposal had been approved already. RDA Chairman said that the project would begin in September as soon as the finance aspect is cleared.

Another giant RDA project is the 153 Kms long Katunayake-Anuradhapura road which will run through Padeniya. Arrangements have been made to re-construct 200 kms long Anuradhapura-Jaffna Highway. The officials have also made arrangements to build an Outer Circular Highway (OCH) of 28 kms which connects abovementioned four highways.

The OCH is proposed to commence at Kerawalapitiya, proceed through Kadawatha, Kaduwela to meet the Southern Expressway at Kottawa. The aim is to provide a major orbit road to connect the major roads.

The OCH is a four-lane access controlled highway with provision for expansion upto six lanes. It will also have fencing, frontage to major highways, inter changes to connect major highways and expressways, underpasses and overpasses for smooth traffic flow along these roads.

According to the RDA Chairman they have already set about to extend the Baseline Road, which runs from Peliyagoda to Kirulapone, with another 8 kms to Ratmalana. Fernando added that the Baseline extension to Ratmalana will be a brand new road.

In addition to these mega projects, the RDA has also engaged in rehabilitation of existing national highways all over the island. Plans have been made to rehabilitate 305 km road from Matara to Karathivu via Wellawaya, Siyambalanduwa and Ampara. The cost has been estimated at Rs. 6225 million and project will be completed by the end of next year in four stages.

'Sunday Observer' was also told that RDA plans in the Eastern Province are moving at a slow pace awaiting military clearance. Arrangements are being made to rehabilitate the Eastern coastline, Akkaraipattu to Pothuvil-Panama road on a priority basis, for which the agreement will be signed next month.

Another giant development project in the offing is the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road including building four new bridges replacing the ferry services at Verugal, Muttur, Gangei and Kinniya. Over 70 per cent of the US$ 100 million project is already completed, Mr. Fernando said. Everything is ready. Tenders will be called for, to reconstruct the Trincomalee- Pulmoddai road, a distance of 55 kms. Three new bridges will come up at Irakkandy, Pudawaikattu and Yan Oya with financial assistance from the Spanish Government.A sum of Rs. 1 billion has been estimated to rebuild 300-meter-long Arugam Bay bridge which was damaged by the tsunami in December 2004, is on and final construction work by December 2008.

The construction work of the Manampitiya Bridge is due to be completed at a cost of Rs. one billion. While the work is due to begin to construct the Talaimannar bridge by September, in the Eastern coastal line bridges at Komari, Kotta Kallar in nearing completion.

The words travel time, traffic congestion, costs in delays and fuel wastage will not be heard in the future, when all these roads are completed.