Basil inspects Galle-Matara Expressway

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa this week inspected the 31 kilometre-long Galle-Matara Expressway to be opened on March 15.
The road begins from Pinnaduwa, Galle and ends at Godagama, Matara. 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 travelers to reach Kaduwela from Matara in one-and-a-half-hours. The maximum speed is 100 km per hour.

President declares open first segment of Rs. 27 b outer circular highway around Colombo

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accompanied by the Ambassador of Japan Nobuhito Hobo, on Saturday declared open the first segment of the Outer Circular Highway (OCH) around Colombo.
After opening the first segment of the OCH from Kottawa to Kaduwela the President drove the first bus on the 11-kilometre long, four-lane highway launching a highway express bus service.

Kottawa-Kaduwela segment of the OCH is located in the Colombo Metropolitan Region and passes through Colombo and Gampaha Districts. Sri Lanka’s longest fly over spanning more than three kilometres is also located in this highway.

Outer Circular highway opening

• President prepares to open two highways costing Rs. 42.7 b
• Northern, southern II and III expressways all funded by China
• Revenue from existing highways inadequate to meet loans, tolls for new Gazetted on Friday
  

By Uditha Jayasinghe
Days ahead of the Outer Circular highway opening and rolling out of new projects, a top official acknowledged revenue from existing expressways are inadequate to cover their costs but insisted fares would not be increased exorbitantly.
The tolls for the two new highways will be released in a gazette notification on Friday.
After the opening of the Colombo Outer Circular Highway on 8 March and the extension of the Southern expressway on 15 March by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Government will push ahead with the last phase of the Southern expressway, the second stage of the Outer Circular Highway and extend it up to Jaffna forming the northern expressway.

First segment of outer circular highway opening on 8 March

The first segment of the Outer Circular Highway (OCH) around Colombo from Kottawa to Kaduwela will be declared open on 8 March.
The public will be able to travel on the expressway from Kaduwela to Galle bypassing the congested city traffic in Colombo once the OCH segment opened as the OCH is connected to the Southern Expressway at Kottawa.
The 11-km long Kottawa-Kaduwela segment of the OCH is located in the Colombo Metropolitan Region and passes through Colombo and Gampaha Districts.
The OCH runs around 20 km away from the city centre of Colombo, connecting radial routes and has a total length of 29.2 km.