Cabinet approval to be sought for elevated highways

The Mega-polis and Western Development Ministry along with the Highways Ministry is to hand over the proposal pertaining to the elevated highways for Cabinet approval with the aim of linking Colombo with key towns.

Secretary to the Ministry of Mega-polis and Western Development Nihal Rupasinghe said that this is a three year project which was now being formulated.

Accordingly, a 21.6 kilometer-long elevated highway would be built from Athurugriya to Colombo Fort via Malabe, Battaramulla, Rajagiriya, Dematagoda and Orugodawatte, while such other elevated highway from the Kelaniya Bridge would also be linked to the project.

The elevated highways are to be linked with the existing Colombo outer-circular road at Pore in Athurugriya, with the Katunayake Expressway at the Kelani Bridge, while another extension would be linked with Baseline Road near the Railway Grounds at Dematagoda, he explained.

The elevated highways, that are to be newly constructed to ease traffic congestions, would have access from Malabe, the Koswatta junction, Rajagiriya, Madinnagoda and Kolonnawa. This would be in addition to access from a point close to the Fort Railway station, the Port City, the Kelani Bridge and Dematagoda. It is also to be further extended to Duplication Road. The proposed project is expected to be completed within a period of three years, Rupasinghe added. According to him, the proposed elevated highways project would be one of the most prominent projects to be implemented during the current year.

While the project cost would be around Rs. 130 billion, it would be worked out on a Build-Operate-and Transfer (BOT) basis in a 25-year period, the sources said.

The authorities explained that they have planned to build elevated highways over canals and Port Authority lands would be reduced for relocating of the people.

In addition, arrangements are also in place to build a bridge over the Kandy Lake with the aim of reducing traffic congestion in the Kandy town.

Environmentalists in Kandy have opposed the above proposal of building a bridge over the Kandy Lake, as the Kandy Lake is deemed sacred and should not be violated.

They further said that if a bridge was to be built over the Kandy Lake, the entire landscape would be obliterated and the vision of an aesthetic king who beautified Kandy with the lake and Pathiruppuwa would be lost.

They said the move was not in keeping with the aspirations of the people of Kandy.

"The only remaining beauty of the City of Kandy was the Sri Dalada Maligawa and the Kandy Lake. If this too was lost, we would have nothing to show the next generation, they added.