Veyangoda flyover to be opened in September

The Veyangoda flyover, now being built on a request by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, to meet the rush hour-traffic congestion in the Veyangoda town, is scheduled to be opened in September. Eighty percent of the work on the flyover is now complete.

This is one of the biggest projects launched to develop infrastructure in the Gampaha district under the Mahinda Chinthana. The Highways Ministry is spending Rs. 2,000 million for the construction of the flyover which, after completion, will end the eight-hour road traffic delay caused by the movement of 96 trains a day. The Spanish Government has provided financial assistance for the project.

The total length of the flyover from the entry point is 600 metres.

It is being built over the railway crossing on the Nittambuwa-Katunayake highway and the Dee Ella Oya which flows parallel to it. This is the fourth flyover to be built in the Gampaha district after those at Gampaha and Ragama. The 315-metre flyover comprises two lanes each which are 3 1/2 metres wide. On either side of the flyover are two pavements, each 1 1/2 metres wide.

Although plans for this flyover were drawn up in 1996 and surveys done by the then government, various problems prevented the project being launched, thus causing tremendous inconvenience to the public.Work on the flyover commenced on September 23, 2012 under Minister Rajapaksa's direction on the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Minister requested engineers and officials of the Road Development Authority, which is in charge of the project, to complete the task within a year. It is now nearing completion before the deadline.

It is significant that initial payments for the lands taken over for the project have already been paid to the individuals and organisations. RDA Project Director R.M. Amarasekera assured that the flyover will be available for public use before October since 80 percent of the work is now complete.