Elevated Highways to Ease Colombo Traffic in Sri Lanka. 3 Roads Connect to Expressways Out of the City

12th January 2012, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Sri Lanka will build three elevated highways to ease traffic congestion in the capital Colombo connecting two central locations with expressways out of the city, a minister said.

Information minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said Egis Bceom International of France will carry out a feasibility study and prepare outline designs for the three expressways.

Higher economic and social development has increased traffic in the city requiring more roads, he said.

Extensive ribbon development along existing road made it impractical to widen key roads in the capital.

One elevated highway will run from Colombo's Fort area to Kottawa for 21 kilometres, where it will connect to an expressway to the island's south and an city outer circular road.

The second, also starting from Fort will run 5 kilometres to Peliyagoda where it will connect to an expressway to the country's international airport in Katunayake.

A third elevated highway will run from Colombo's Kirulapone area to Kadawatha and the outer circular road.

Several Sri Lankan universities will also assist in consultancy.

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New Roads to Ease Congestion in Colombo Planned as 40,000 New Vehicles are Added Every Month

06th January 2012, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Sri Lanka has started a study to plan new roads to ease congestion in the capital Colombo and provide fast connections to expressways, the head of the island's Road Development Authority said.

RDA chairman R W Pemasiri said heavy congestion is seen on High Level Road, Baseline Road and from Malabe to the Parliament Junction.

"The new roads can be elevated on built on the ground," Pemasiri said. "We will have a firm idea after the feasibility study is completed."

Roads around Sri Lanka's parliament in the administrative capital of Sri Jayewardenepura became heavily congested from early last year, residents say. Access to Colombo to fast developing areas like Malabe, falls through the area.

In 2010 Sri Lanka cut taxes on motor cars and monthly imports of cars alone are now around 4,000 to 5,000 units adding to the fleet compared to about 500 cars two years ago.

About 1,200 dual purpose vehicles are also registered compared to less than two hundred a few months ago.

Before that tax slashed or tax free cars were only available to state workers and the ruling class of elected legislators. Critics point out that even now ordinary second class citizens, pay higher taxes for cars than elected legislators

and state workers.

About 40,000 new vehicles are now put on Sri Lankan roads each month compared to about 20,000 two years ago. This includes about 20,000 motor cycles and 11,000 three wheelers, which are mostly used as taxis.

While more cars on the roads improve mobility of citizens and allow the state to collect more taxes from fuel (petrol is sold at a little less than double the cost) congestion can make increase inefficiencies by wasting time and fuel.

Capital cities which are economic hubs also need fast transport. Many countries have mass transit systems to supplement roads.

Sri Lanka is also building several expressways. The first expressway to the South is already open and another to an international airport north of Colombo is being built. An expressway to the central hill city of Kandy is also planned.

Pemasiri said the feasibility study will also look at how to optimize approaches to the new expressways.

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Concrete Highways for Sri Lanka for Durability Advantage over Traditional Bitumen Surface

11th February 2011, www.news360.lk

Sri Lanka has decided to build roads and highways using “concrete surfacing” wherever possible, replacing the traditionally used “bitumen”.

Officials say, it has been observed that concrete roads are more durable and require less maintenance than the roads constructed by using bitumen.

Accordingly the Road Development Authority has selected 600 kilometers of highways to be rehabilitated by “concrete surfacing”.

Cabinet has approved the project which will be implemented through domestic contractors.

As of now most of the roads built in rural areas through the “Maga Naguma” program are concrete surfaced.

Sri Lanka's Northern Roadways to be Developed at $3.5bn Funding

31st August 2010, www.news.lk

A major road rehabilitation and development project is to be undertaken by the Government with Chinese financial assistance in the Northern province. Accordingly, 332km length of roads inclusive of Kandy- Jaffna A9 highway will be developed and modernized on a proposal by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

This road development project covering the most part of Northern Province will help to revive the economic activities of the northern communities who have economically suffered for a long term because of the terrorism. It is also estimated that the economic benefits of these projects to the country as a whole will be far in excess of the financial cost of the project.

Accordingly, 153km length of Kandy -Jaffna A9 highway from Galkulama to Jaffna will be rehabilitated and modernized as part of the main gateway to the Northern Province. The other roadways that will be developed under this projects are 84km length of Jaffna – Point Pedro AB20 road, Puttur – Meesalai AB32 road and Jaffna – Palai AB18 roadways.

Rehabilitation and improvement of 95km length of the of B334, B297 and B296 roads will also take place covering the areas of Mulativu – Kokilai – Pulmudai roadway, Oddusudan – Nedunkerney roadway and the Mullativu – Puliyankulam roadways as separate projects.

The total cost of this project will be US 355 million of which 85% will be financed by the Government of China while the local component of 15% will be borne by the government of Sri Lanka.

Main Road Work Begins at Mattala Airport, Sri Lanka's Second International Airport

13th May 2010, www.news.lk

Construction work on the main access route to the Mattala Airport has commenced.
The construction was launched under the patronage of the Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.

The main road will have six lanes. The first stage will be 13 kilometers from Mattala to Kataragama via Lunugamvehera. A programme is also planned for the planting of “Na” plants on either side of the road.

ADB Fund Northern Road Connectivity Project in Sri Lanka

05th January 2010, www.lankabusinessonline.com

The Asian Development Bank said the first batch of bidding documents for a road project it is funding in northern Sri Lanka is expected to be available this month. The proposed Northern Road Connectivity Project will cover repairs to about 120 km of national highways in the northern and north-central provinces and about 141 km of provincial roads in the north.

It also includes building or repairing bridges in the two provinces.

The ADB will lend about 130 million dollars for the project, the biggest in the bank’s aid pipeline for the island this year.

Roads in northern Sri Lanka were badly damaged or neglected because of the island’s 30-year ethnic war which ended in May 2009 when government forces defeated Tamil Tiger separatists.

The ADB said in a statement procurement to be financed under the project will be carried out in accordance with ADB's procurement guidelines.

The bank has said it is refocusing its aid to Sri Lanka to cover rebuilding of the north and east where infrastructure was destroyed or neglected because of the war which was fought mainly in those areas.

Rural People Maintaining Roads Reduces Poverty. ADB Projects Brings Two Way Benefits - An ADB Project

16th December 2009, www.dailymirror.lk

Isolated rural villages in Sri Lanka will be connected to provincial road networks through an innovative project that will work closely with local governments to employ poor villagers, particularly women, to rehabilitate and maintain rural access roads in their area.

The ADB Board of Directors approved a $3 million grant from the Japan Fund For Poverty Reduction - funded by the Government of Japan and administered by ADB - to finance the project in more than 60 villages in the Eastern and North Central provinces.

Some 10,000 families in the project area have been marginalized from mainstream development and remain in poverty because rural access roads to their villages are either in poor conditions or do not exist. Most of the families depend on the government's welfare program, which barely meets their daily needs.

The ADB project will upgrade about 250 km of rural access roads, and pilot test a plan to improve rural transport services, to connect local communities to the provincial roads or to essential social services facilities. Four local non government organizations (NGOs) will be retained to identify, train and supervise up to 2,000 community members to work on road rehabilitation and maintenance. Another 900 community members will be given relevant skill training for livelihood development. At least 50% of the workers will be women, with opportunities extended to war widows and female heads of household.

The NGOs will also assist the workers in opening and maintaining bank accounts so that a portion of the workers income will be paid directly into individual accounts. These savings may provide a base for the establishment of micro and small-scale enterprises after completion of the road work.

"Isolation and marginalization are fundamental causes of poverty, and the villages in the project area have been isolated and marginalized for many years," said Francesco Tornieri, Social Development Specialist in ADB's South Asia Department.

"Through the rehabilitation of rural access road, this project will help address the underlying causes of poverty and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to a considerable number of the poor," added Mr. Tornieri.