The revolution in road development continues:

Southern Expressway to Matara opens on March 15

By Ranil Wijayapala

As Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma mentioned at a press conference this week, Sri Lanka which gained independence along with other South and South East Asian countries, has taken 63 years to experience its first expressway dream while other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand had this experience much ahead.

Section of the extension

Truly speaking, even a decade ago, construction of expressways in Sri Lanka was merely a dream and people considered it merely as an election pledge.

Putting aside the culture of giving false political promises and putting an end to the culture of having plaques and foundation stones which hardly become a reality, President Mahinda Rajapaksa laid a foundation stone for the construction of the Southern expressway in 2005 to make the expressway dream a reality in Sri Lanka.

Though people looked at that effort as yet another foundation stone, President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Highways, Ports and Shipping made that long awaited dream a reality after opening the first phase of Sri Lanka's first expressway on November 27, 2011 marking a major milestone in the highways sector of the country. With the opening of the first phase of the Southern Expressway, the development of the expressways sector also saw much progress in the country like a vehicle that moves fast on the expressway as another foundation stone laid in August, 2009 turned into a reality in October 2013 with the opening of the Colombo Katunayake expressway, reducing the travel time between Colombo and Katunayake International Airport into 20 minutes.

But that was not the end. The development of the expressway network also moved in a rapid pace and Sri Lanka witnessed the opening of yet another expressway on March 7, 2014 with the opening of the first phase of the Outer Circular Expressway from Kottawa to Kaduwela, reducing the travel time between Kottawa to Kaduwela to seven minutes and extending the Southern expressway towards Kaduwela.

The Outer Circular Expressway which was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday evening, once completed will connect all the expressway networks and major roads leading to Colombo enabling vehicles travelling from South to North or North to South bypassing the Colombo city.

This will also enable the motorists entering the Southern expressway to reach Kaduwela direct through the Kottawa interchange.

The Outer Circular Expressway will be constructed in three phases, from Kottawa to Kaduwela, Kaduwela to Kadawatha and Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya. Once completed it will connect the Southern Expressway, the Northern and Kandy Expressway and the Katunayake expressway through an outer ring of the Colombo city.

That will not be the end of the expressway story in Sri Lanka. Next Saturday (March 15, 2014) motorists will have the chance of travelling from Kottawa to Matara within one and half hours as the second phase of Southern expressway from Pinnaduwa to Godagama is also going to be added to the expressway network of the country.

According to Highways, Ports and Shipping Ministry, the four-lane 35 km extension of Sri Lanka's first ever Expressway constructed at a cost of US$ 180 million with funds from EXIM Bank of China will be open for the public after its opening on March 15.

This stretch of the expressway will also have the same features as the first section of the road from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa and there will be three interchanges to connect the main cities in the south with this highway.

The first interchange after Pinnaduwa will be at Imaduwa, to connect the highway with Galle - Akuressa Road.

The other interchange will be at Kokmaduwa to connect the highway with Weligama-Kananke Road.

The last interchange will be at Godagama to connect the southern expressway to Matara via Akuressa - Matara Road. The Godagama interchange will be a temporary one and it will be fully changed once the southern highway is extended to Beliatta, the officials said.

This section of the project is having four bridges, 46 underpasses, 12 box culverts and 236 pipe culverts.

The extension of the Southern expressway from Godagama to Beliatta will also be implemented after the opening of the road to Matara and at the final stage the expressway will be extended to Hambantota to connect it with Mattala International Airport and the Hambantota port.

The Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping announced that this section of expressway from Pinnaduwa in Galle to Godagama in Matara will be opened for public for free entrance from Friday (March 8) midnight to midnight of March 10.

Various public activities including religious functions, cycle races, other sports activities and cultural events have been organised to be held on the expressway during this time.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will declare open the 35-km long extension of the Southern Expressway on March 15 at 3 p.m.

Project Minister for Highways and Ports and Shipping, Nirmala Kothalawala commenting on the progress of the expressway development in the country said that the construction of Colombo-Katunayake expressway (25.1 km), Southern Expressway (130 km), Outer Circular Highway (28 km), Colombo Kandy Expressway (98 km), Colombo-Jaffna Expressway(213 km) and the Extension Southern Expressway (100 km) were the major projects that have been given top most priority by the Government and it has been able to make many of these projects a reality by now.

The opening of the southern expressway to Matara will definitely fulfil the dreams of the southern population of the country as well as the people in other parts of the country as it will help improve transport facilities for future development of Southern Region. It will act as a catalyst in encouraging and attracting industries and services for the Economic and Social development of the region.

"It will also promote inter-regional transport facilities by developing this road, considering it as a major component of the proposed expressway network", the Minister said.

"The main objectives of the project are also aimed at reducing the travel time between Colombo and Matara, reduce traffic congestion on Colombo - Matara Road, and reduce delay costs and fuel costs thereby contributing to the national economy", he said.

Attracting private sector investors and thereby contributing to expand the job market, development of fisheries, agriculture, industries in the region, expanding tourism presently confined to the coastal belt along Colombo - Galle - Matara to more inner areas of the southern province, development of Galle Port, Development of the towns that belong to all interchanges as Economic Centres and enhancing the value of land and property in the region are also among the objectives to be achieved under this project, the Minister said.

According to Minister Kothalawala Sri Lanka will move ahead in developing its road network this year too by commencing the 99 km Colombo - Kandy expressway in two stages from Kadawatha to Ambepussa and Ambepussa to Katugastota.

"Parallel to this the construction of Northern Eastern expressway will also begin soon", the Minister said.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa has begun the revolution in the road development sector in the country and people will definitely enjoy the benefits of that revolution with positive impacts on their lifestyles", the Minister said.