Cycle lanes for first time in Sri Lanka

by Irangika RANGE

Construction work on Sri Lanka's first roadway with two bicycle lanes from Padeniya, Kurunegala to Anuradhapura will be commenced under the patronage of Highways and Road Development Minister T.B. Ekanayake at Daladagama junction, Mahawa today.

Minister Ekanayake said that the estimated cost for the project would be Rs.6,000 million which will be funded by the Korean Government. The length of the stretch of the road between Padeniya and Anuradhapura would be 81 km. The road will be widened up to 15 meters and two bicycle lanes will be constructed each with a width of five feet.

The roadway will be constructed under the supervision of both Highways and Road Development Ministry and the Road Development Authority.

"The bends of the roadway would be widened to prevent accidents and to account for local weather and geographical conditions," the Minister said.

"We will make the roadway affordable and sustainable to maintain," he noted.

The Minister has advised officials to formulate an acceptable and transparent compensation mechanism following international recommendations to pay maximum compensation to people who lost their properties due to the construction of this roadway.

Officials have also been instructed by the Minister to pay this compensation in a punctual and transparent manner.

The Minister said the Government has decided to designate Anuradhapura city as a main goods transport hub in Sri Lanka under its speedy developments program after the heroic Armed Forces liberated the entire North and the East from the clutches of the terrorism under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.