Flyovers to ease congestion in Western province

by Imantha Caldera

The Ministry of Highways and Road Development has launched a project to construct flyovers to ease traffic congestion in the Western Province. A flyover will be built at Kelaniya under this project. Construction work on the steel flyover bridge at the Kelaniya Railway crossing on the Kandy Road has already begun.

The Ministry of Highways and Road Development Media co-ordinator R. M. P. B. Rathnayake said: "The flyover bridge is one of the main projects launched by the government.

The Kelaniya-Thorana junction flyover bridge will be completed by the end of May". The main objective in constructing the bridge is to minimise traffic congestion on the Colombo-Kandy Road and to maintain an efficient transport service to areas such as Kiribathgoda, Kadawatha and Peliyagoda.

The 219 bridges and three flyovers will be built under the program to build 222 bridges. The estimated cost for the project is Rs. 20 billion. The project is expected to be completed within two years.

The Export Credits Guarantee Department of the United Kingdom provides financial assistance for the project. There is a great demand for bridges in upcountry and 80 bridges have been planned to be built in the North and East.