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Deplorable state of Biyagama Road irks travellers

by Manjula Fernando

Who is responsible for the Biyagama Road? No one seems to care.

The pathetic situation of this road, which enjoyed stately status before the low level road was developed as a highway and the de-route was built for the Biyagama FTZ from Kandy Road, brings tears to commuters and residents living along this road. There have been eyewitnesses to its decay over the years due to the authorities' negligence.

This is the main route to Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya, one of the most sacred and ancient historical places closest to Colombo. It had once been a popular de-route for those travelling to Kandy to avoid the distressing dense traffic jams along the Kandy Road upto Miriswatte, Gampaha.

But now even the bullock carters would be happy to avoid this road, worse than a gravel track in a remote area. The worst is the three - four km stretch from Pattiya Junction to the 'Na Gaha' Junction, residents lament.

The road at this stretch is so narrow that overtaking a CTB bus or a container truck would be nearly impossible. The route is full of natural humps and bumps caused by lack of maintenance. Avoiding a pothole for several feet at a stretch would certainly qualify for a Guinness World Record, they say.

Residents claim that the larger potholes created after a heavy rain are often plastered with 'here-we-did-something' kind of work, only to see them re-emerge within a short time.

Just think about the misery of office goers in packed-to-the-bone buses on this pitiful road.

Now that the authorities have focused upon development of roads and with news even of remote sub-roads being neatly carpeted, residents of Pethiyagoda, Kelaniya and Kaduwela areas are hopeful the Biyagama Road will receive due attention soon.

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