ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSING: RDA
Construction will be launched shortly for an elevated highway
He added that the 101 kilometre Central Expressway would be opened in 2020 as projected because there was no delay in the construction work in the first phase of 37.1 kilometres from Kadawatha to Mirigama as speculated by certain media.
RDA Chairman Eng, Nihal Suriyarachchi said the Construction of the Central Expressway will be carried out in four stages to complete in five years as Sri Lanka’s first major Expressway project, the Southern Expressway took more than 20 years to complete from planning stage.
The four stages of construction from phase one from - Kadawatha to Meerigama (37.1km), phase two from Meerigama to Kurunegala (76.8km) and Ambepussa link road (9.3km) stage 3 from Pothuhera to Galagedara (32.5km) and Stage 4 from Kurunegala to Dambulla (137.1km) have been given to local and foreign constructors, he said.
Mr. Suriyarachchi said the former Northern Expressway Project (NEP) has now been renamed as “Central Expressway Project (CEP)” and compensations have been paid for lands acquired for the project valued at more than the current market price of lands.
Mr. Suriyarachchi added that the RDA had already started construction on a few other major Expressways totaling a length of 197 kilometres that include the extension of Southern Expressway from Matara to Mattala (96km), Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya (9.63km), Mirigama to Kurunegala (39.23km) and New Kelani Bridge (1.5 km).
“Construction will be launched shortly for an elevated highway as an access road to Port of Colombo (5.8km) and an Expressway stretching 32.5 kilometers from Pothuhara to Galagedara. We will start the construction of the new Kelani Bridge up to Rajagiriya and Rajagiriya – Athurugiriya Expressway (9.1km) in 2019,” Mr. Suriyarachchi said.
Construction of these projects are scheduled to be completed in 2020 as contracts will be offered section by section to local and foreign companies to expedite the constructions and minimize overhead costs.