Access Engineering completes and commissions three flyovers
Access Engineering PLC, the pioneers in the flyover construction in Sri Lanka successfully completed the construction of three flyovers to lessen the heavy traffic congestion in the areas of Rajagiriya, Ganemulla and Polgahawela.
The construction works of the said flyover projects were initiated by the Road Development Authority under the Ministry of Higher Education and Highways during mid 2016 due to the heavy traffic congestion which has long been a point of contention among the daily commuters in the respective areas.
The projects were funded by the Government of Spain and the design and the supply of the superstructures were entrusted to Centunion S. A of Spain as the main contractor and the design and construction of substructure, on-site fabrication, the installation and erection of the steel superstructure were subcontracted to Access Engineering PLC.
Rajagiriya town administered by the Kotte Municipal Council is situated about 10km away from the capital of Colombo. Rajagiriya is identified as one of the heavy-traffic areas in suburbs of the city, and three closely situated road intersections at Rajagiriya creates highly saturated continuous traffic congestions towards Battaramulla, Parliament road, Kalapaluwawa, Borella and Nugegoda. More than 75,000 vehicles pass daily through Rajagiriya inclusive of large number of public & private transport busses.
The flyover 363m length was built to accommodate four traffic lanes on two individual decks where width of a lane is3.5m.the flyover now takes the daily commuters amassed at 4+800 km near Victoria Home up and over the flyover to the Sri Jayawardenapura Mawatha at 5+570km close to Buthgamuwa Road Junction near fuel filling station.
Polgahawela railway station is located at an important railway junction where the main railway line from Colombo branches off to Jaffna in the North, Trinicomolee and Batticaloa in the East and Kandy & Badulla in the upcountry. Around 130 trains travel to and fro through the Polgahawela rail junction necessitating continuous shunting of trains which leads to long gate closures for approximately 400 minutes per day at the level crossing located along Polgahawela - Kegalle road (A19). And this causes severe traffic congestion by the sides of the level crossing.
As a permanent solution to solve the situation at hand, an erection of a 234m long steel flyover which is comprised of 3.5m wide two lane carriageway and 1.5m wide two pedestrian ways was proposed. The flyover was built on a six span steel superstructure of which the maximum span is of 45m length. The approach road system comprises of 3.5m wide two-lane carriageway and 1.2m wide raised foot walks for pedestrians. The alignment of the flyover takes a detour around the existing level crossing to improve the overall road geometry while eliminating the need for extensive land acquisitions and utility re-locations.
Ganemulla Town was also recognized to be an area with high traffic congestion. It is located 9 km away from the Kadawatha Town and is mainly developed around Ganemulla Railway Station. The town spreads about 250m and 500m towards Kirindiwita and Kadawatha directions respectively from the railway crossing. Numerous public utilities are spread along the Kadawatha – Ganemulla (B58) road centralizing the Ganemulla Railway Station and level crossing. Around 125 trains traveling to and fro Colombo – Badulla, Kandy, Jaffna, Trincomolee, Mannar and Batticaloa pass Ganemulla Railway Station necessitating the closure of the rail gates quiet frequently causing severe traffic congestions by the sides of the level crossings.
To remedy the situation in hand, 256m long flyover was built with 3.5m wide two lane carriageways and 1.2m wide two pedestrian ways. The flyover is built on a pile foundations and a seven span steel superstructure. The steel components of the super structure including piers, girders and decking were imported from Spain through the main contract and were installed by the construction and engineering team at Access Engineering PLC. “All three flyovers are now completed and commissioned to public, we feel accomplished to see that all three projects come to fruition at once while contributing for better transportation, for the economy as well as for the quality of life among people in different corners of the country,” said Jeewaka Dahanayake; Project Manager of all three flyover projects.