Major road projects on track
Walter Liyanarachchi
The Highways and Road Development Ministry will accelerate the growth
of the road rehabilitation and construction utilizing Rs. 77 billion
during this year.
Minister T.B. Ekanayake said the sole intention of expediting the
on-going projects and commencing work on planned projects is to keep
pace with the development activities initiated by the other Ministries.
The Ministry is taking efforts to revitalise all segments connected
to the cause and is expected to complete most of the projects by the end
of the year.
“As far as the completed roads are concerned, it has given a
considerable impetus to promote the conveyance of goods to and fro and
to facilitate commuters with increased public transport on new routes.”
Today more buses are plying in the interior areas of the country
where the rural folk had to walk miles earlier to get their requirements
fulfilled,” the Minister said.
Most of the on-going massive projects such as Southern Transport
Development Project, Colombo Kandy Express Highway Project, bridges,
steel bridge projects (flyovers) are expected to complete by 2012.
More attention will also be drawn to rehabilitate the dilapidated
roads in the war ravaged North and Eastern Provinces.
The 230 km Kandy-Jaffna A9 road is expected to open for civilians
next month. The fixing of sign boards and other indications will be
completed this month. No sooner the green light is given by the Defence
Ministry after the clearing of mines, the opening of the road will be
organized.
The Engineering Division of the Sri Lanka Army and the Road
Development Authority are jointly constructing or rehabilitating the
dilapidated A 9 road and renovating the bridges and culverts, the
Minister added.
Rehabilitation of national highways, non RDA roads and reconstruction
of bridges and culverts damaged due to the tsunami will continue this
year too.
At present more than 450 kms had already been completed whilst 600 km
is in progress.
Under the Maga Neguma Rural Road Development Program nearly 900 km of
roads and a total of 176 small scale bridges and culverts had already
been improved or reconstructed spending Rs. 2,219.86 million, an
official said. |