Sri Lanka commences construction of country’s seventh expressway
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa last week launched the construction of the long-delayed Rs. 54.7 billion first phase of the Ruwanpura Expressway, which is the country’s seventh expressway.
The Prime Minister had inaugurated the project virtually from his office at Temple Trees, in line with strict Covid-19 guidelines.
Speaking during the event the Prime Minister had insisted that the Sri Lankan government would continue to carry out development projects despite challenges posed by the pandemic.
“This project was supposed to begin in 2014 but we were not able to do so because we lost the elections. We hoped that the people who came to power would continue our development work, but unfortunately all they cared about was their own welfare. Undeterred we have moved forward with the project and it will fulfill the development aspirations of the public,” he has been quoted as saying.
In July 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers had decided to give the Ruwanpura Expressway Project (REP) to local contractors, changing previous plans that had earmarked the first phase to be awarded to a Chinese company.
According to reports, the REP from Kahatuduwa to Pelmadulla via Ratnapura (73.9 km) has been divided into three sections for implementation purposes. Section 1 is from Kahatuduwa to Ingiriya (26.3 km), Section 2 from Ingiriya to Ratnapura (26.2 km), and Section 3 from Ratnapura to Pelmadulla (21.4 km).
Section 1 will be constructed by Maga Engineering Company at a cost Rs. 54.70 billion. Construction period is 30 months.
The construction of this expressway is expected to ease traffic congestion on the Panadura-Ratnapura (A-08) and Colombo-Wellawaya-Batticaloa (A-04) roads and facilitate more convenient travel.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is currently engaged in an ambitious development programme that is aimed at taking the country to the next level of development. All this is being carried out despite the challenges faced by the global Covid 19 pandemic. Sri Lanka’s economy has shown great resilience through the years and is once again on the path to recovery after facing the impact of the Covid 19 impact. The country’s ongoing development programme has opened up many business/investment opportunities for discerning foreign businesses/investors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20210514/Z_4 |