Extension to Southern Expressway to begin in June

Shirajiv Sirimane

Family or official function happening in the South was always something most people wanted to avoid since it took them more than five hours to travel from Colombo to Matara. But today with the opening of the Southern highway this has narrowed down to just one and a half hours and today people are waiting to grab any opportunity to go to the South using the highway.

The expressway will reduce the time taken to travel from Colombo to Matara (161 km) to one-and-a-half hours from the current four hours, and currently reduces the time taken to travel from Colombo to Galle (116 km) to one hour from the three hours taken by the regular Colombo-Matara highway.

The section from Pinnaduwa in Galle to Godagama in Matara will have two interchanges at Imaduwa and Kokmaduwa, four bridges, 46 underpasses and 12 box culverts.

The new road constructed by local engineers under the Highways Ministry's direction on the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will make it possible for travellers to reach Kaduwela from Matara in one-and-a-half-hours. The maximum speed is 100 kmh. This speed limit has being criticized.

Extension

When I was driving a European manufactured car in the Southern highway a warning bell started ringing and when I looked up at the dash board it said 'you have exceeded the speed limit'.

The Speedometer needle was at 126 km point which clearly indicates that the European speed limit is 125. With time and drivers getting used to the highway network driving culture local speed limits too would increase. Work on extending the expressway from Matara to Hambantota is due to begin in June.

Under this third phase, the Southern Expressway will be extended from Matara to Hambantota, connecting the Mattala International Airport to Colombo.

The construction of the 75 km segment from Matara-Godagama to the Hambantota harbour via Beliatta, Andarawewa and Mattala will commence next month. Another criticism level against the highway development is that all focus is to the south. This is very unrealistic as plans and even funds being found to develop a Highway network to North and central region as well. Work on the Northern Expressway has already begun and its first stage will be from Enderamulla to Ambepussa, the second stage from Meerigama to Pallandeniya and the third from Ambepussa to Kandy.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted US$ 98 million to reconstruct and rehabilitate 120 KMs of National Road Network in Northern Road Network, under additional provision.

Government has decided to utilize the fund for reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads in the country.

Accordingly, A-14 Madawachchiya-Mannar-Thalai Mannar road section , 47-62 kms will be reconstructed and rehabilitated.

Further A-14 Medawachchiya-Mannar-Thalai Mannar section 62.10 to 76.50 kms will also be developed.

Under AB roads, AB-19 Jaffna-Pannai-Kyts road 0-10 km section along with AB-19 Jaffna-Pannai-Kyts road 10-20.75 km stretch will also be rehabilitated and reconstructed with ADB aid. Many Sri Lankans visiting foreign countries and seeing the expressways in those countries and others seeing pictures of Expressways in magazines and films would have amazed about the progress of road development in other countries and may have wondered when such an era would dawn in Sri Lanka to replace the pot-holes ridden roads in our country.

Rail links

The government has launched work on the first phase of the proposed Matara-Kataragama railway line from Matara to Beliatta.

The Matara Beliatta Section consists of construction of 26.75 km long single line broad gauge rail track including construction of structures such as culverts, bridges over rivers, viaducts those required over the Nilwala river flood plain, level crossings, underpass boxes, road diversion, 4 numbers of railway stations and functional requirements including construction of railway quarters for staff, earth embankments, cut embankments and ground treatment etc.

The Chinese government has approved a loan of US$ 278.2 million through its Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China on concessional terms to finance the construction of the Matara-Beliatta Section of Matara-Kataragama Railway Extension Project. It is expected to construct the railway line from Beliatta to Hambantota and Hambantota to Kataragama under phase II and phase III.

Northern highway on track

In addition to this steps have also been taken to start construction work of Colombo-Jaffna, and Colombo-Kandy expressways next year.

The Colombo-Kandy expressway will be constructed via Kurunegala and it will be extended to Trincomalee as well. Plans have also been made to construct expressways diverting the Matara-Hambantota expressway to Ampara and Batticaloa.

The outer circular highway (OCH) will link the two highways.

The OCH is being completed in three phases, an 11 km section from Kottawa to Kaduwela which is now opened and an 8.9 km section from Kaduwela to Kadawatha and 9.3 km section from Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya respectively.

This also links the Colombo Katunayaka highway allowing a person from the South to go to the airport without going through Colombo.

It must be stated that unlike previous years under different political leaders elections have never being the target of development for President Rajapaksa.

Irrespective of elections development goes on and even after holing these elections the development never stops. The same has to be stated for the Southern elections.

Southerners and hoteliers and entrepreneurs thank the government for opening the highway which would help to usher prosperity to the region.