New Gateway to Golden Island:

CKE, a dream come true after 40 years

By Dharman Wickremaratne

'Welcome,' 'We are glad to Invite You' and so on, were the sentiments expressed on some of the banners and posters on display along the newly built Colombo-Katunayake Expressway. But they were not mere words but reflections of the true feelings of the thousands of people who have been visiting the new roadway and enjoying the scenery.

They were expressing the same views. Their enthusiasm was clearly seen on their faces while walking and talking to each other. They belonged to all communities and ethnic groups. Anthony Arulendran from Wellawatte, Safrina Jaufer from Puttalam, Tilak Munasinghe from Hakmana, Angela Brohier from Kegalle, Thusitha Chandrakumara from Kirindiwela and Dhanapala Seneviratne from Haputale. There were no racial or language barriers among them. They were all children of Mother Lanka and I met them while touring the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway from October 22 to 24. Nearly Three-hundred thousand people walked along the new road during the three days.

Some were having a dip in the lagoon by the roadside while others were enjoying the shade of trees. Young people were riding bicycles. Towards the Katunayake end of the expressway we spotted uniformed school children who looked like white butterflies from a distance. On the first day 25,000 people came to see the expressway within the first 12 hours.

The three-day programmes to mark the opening of the road to the public were launched under Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa's guidance on the advice of President Rajapaksa. Project Minister Nirmala Kotalawala, Western Province Highways and Tourism Minister Nimal Lansa, Deputy Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga contributed to the success of the programmes and festivities.

Of these, the first day's activity was a track and field event in which about 3000 people participated from Peliyagoda to Katunayake and from Ja-ela to Katunayake. Two-hundred and fifty competitors took part in the bicycle race. On the second day art competitions were held at four entry points to the expressway. They were Peliyagoda, Thorana, Ja-ela and Katunayake. A highlight of the same day was school musical bands playing folk songs. Another was the buggy race that began from Ja-ela on the same day at 3.00 p.m. The number of competitors was 87. On the last day festivities comprised tug-of-war, boat races in the Negombo lagoon, stage plays and three-wheeler races.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will ceremonially open the expressway today.

The foundation for the expressway was first laid by then Prime Minister Madam Sirima Bandaranaike in the early 1970s. Anyone travelling on the Kelani Bridge could see for the past 40 years the remnants of two bridges constructed in connection with that failed project. They were demolished early this year during the construction of the new expressway. The other old bridge built near the Vidayalankara Pirivena has been repaired for use as an entry point to the new expressway.

Colombo-Katunayake Expressway is Sri Lanka's second E Class highway. The 25.8 kilometre-long expressway links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake.

The long awaited expressway passes through the open land of Muthurajawela marshes and the Negombo lagoon giving a glimpse of natural beauty. The quick travel between the Bandaranaike International Airport and the capital of the country with enhanced safety will help to boost the country's economy in addition to providing pleasant travel to the road users. Colombo - Katunayake Expressway (CKE) is a 4-lane User-fee levying Expressway with a designed speed of 100kmph. It consists of three interchanges, namely Peliyagoda, Jaela and Katunayake. It is expected to connect the CKE to the proposed Outer Circular Highway (OCH) at Kerawalapitiya in the future. The Expressway has been constructed according to the international standards to ensure the safety of all road users and emphasis has been given to increase the mental and physical comfort of passengers and drivers. The 25.8 km Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE) starts from the New Kelani Bridge and ends at the access road to the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake.

Construction on the highway began in August 2009. The expressway was constructed at a cost of US $ 350 million. It is expected to reduce the travel time from Colombo to Katunayake to 20 minutes. This expressway is to be connected with the Outer Circular Highway (OCH) at Kerawalapitiya Interchange.

There are four interchangers in Katunayake, Ja-ela, Peliyagoda and new Kelani Bridge on the expressway. The expressway has been constructed by a Chinese company on the supervision of the Road Development Authority. This is the first expressway where sea sand had been used for filling of the road embankment. Soft ground treatment techniques are adopted where ground conditions are poor

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa made an incomparable contribution to the construction of the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway. He monitored the progress of the construction work monthly and visited the site every three months from the start. Minister Basil Rajapaksa guides all the major development projects the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government has launched. Highways Project Minister Nirmala Kotalawala, Secretary of Highways, Ports & Shipping Ministry Ranjit Premasiri and all local engineers associated with the project contributed its success.

We have to be grateful to everyone who did their share in making this 40-year dream come true in accordance with the Mahinda Chinthana Vision. The fruits of their labour will be seen in the coming years and months.

The writer is an environmental journalist who could be reached at [email protected]