More flyovers to fly

by Rosanne Koelmeyer Anderson

Losing your grip on the fast track? Not surprising! Talking about road discipline today; many drivers in Sri Lanka seem to be on the borderline of patience when caught up in a traffic jam, especially in the hub of the western province, Colombo where congestion is worst at almost any time of the day.

Opinions on the issue however seem to differ. While many pedestrians and drivers endlessly blame it on the inconsistencies of the Road Development Authority (RDA) and the poor transport system.

However, Chairman of the RDA, S. B. S. Fernando says traffic congestion is basically due to road indiscipline and attitudes of today's drivers who barely seem to believe in road etiquette which of course cannot be taught but rather inculcated.

However, in a bid to find a solution to the existing problem the RDA has now begun implementing a ten year plan to improve the roadway system in Sri Lanka.

Soon, you will see many flyovers, grade suspensions or expressways, twenty in all, in and around the western province to ease traffic congestion; fulfilling a commitment set out in the Mahinda Chinthanaya. Construction of the twenty flyovers will ease the burden on everyone at large.

Together with the huge traffic congestion issue at present many pedestrians and commuters are at the receiving end of undue health risks; most vulnerable are people living by busy main roads, shopkeepers, hawkers, porters and traffic policemen.

Traffic density could be linked to asthma, chronic bronchitis in healthy persons, coughs and upper respiratory symptoms, other chronic diseases and the loss of accuracy of vision and mental alertness through the combustion of fuel.

So, with the new developments, soon there will be relief for all says the RDA Chairman. Some of the flyovers have been in the form of grants, some with the financial assistance from the National Contractors Association (NACA) the (NCA) will extend the money and contractors will pay back after some time as well as through tender.

The flyovers will be constructed on the Katunayake-Nittambuwa Road across the main railway crossing at Veyangoda, on the Colombo-Horana High Level Road for the right turning traffic on the High Level Road to Stafford Avenue at Kirulapone junction, on Baseline Road across High Level, on Baseline Road extension at Edmonton Road, Borelesgamuwa junction on the Colombo-Horana Road, along Duplication Road, across the coastal Railway Line at Slave Island near Beira Lake, the railway crossing at Kelaniya, at the Galle Road entrance to Hill Street, Dehiwela, Kohuwela junction, the High Level Road at the Dehiwela-Maharagama intersection, interchange at Welikada-Rajagiriya junction at State Drive to Parliament, interchange at Orugodawatte junction Baseline Road, interchange at Panchikawatte Roundabout on the Colombo-Kandy Road,interchange at Lipton circus at Eye Hospital junction extension roundabout, at Kanatte junction along Buddhaloka Mawatha towards Devi Balika Vidyalaya,Chatham Street at Hilton Roundabout, across Station Road at Bambalapitiya, across D. S. Senanayake junction at Kynsey Road junction, the Marine Drive extension, across Galle Road at Panadura junction, across Airport Road at Ragama junction and across Airport Road at Hendala junction.

Work on the flyover across the railway line at Orugodawatte is in progress while the foundation stone has been laid for the flyover at the Kelaniya railway crossing. Tenders have been called for in China for the flyover at the Dehiwela-Maharagama intersection.

The contractor will be selected by the end of this month while construction on the other flyovers will commence soon, Chairman of the RDA said.

According to Central Bank statistics, 750,000 people enter Colombo everyday from twelve different entry points into the city in 200,000 vehicles. Of this 5 per cent arrive in buses, 12 per cent in trains, 25 per cent enter the city in cars and vans and the rest arrive in taxis.

This shows that there are a large number of vehicles transporting a smaller number of people proportionately. It is said that the western province contributes to more than 50 per cent of the GDP.

This makes it a necessity to improve infrastructure in the transport system too. It has been suggested that a Metro System (MRT) and a Light Rapid Transit System (LRT) would be the best alternatives to solving the existing transport problem; focusing on similar strategies adopted by other countries.

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