More than Rs 4.7 billion to renovate A-26 Road

Irangika RANGE

The Government has taken steps to renovate the stretch of road from Udathenna to Mahiyanganaya widening the 18 hair-pin bends on the Kandy-Mahiyanganaya main road (A-26 ) at a cost of Rs.4.7 billion for the smooth flow of traffic on the road.

Highways and Road Development Minister T.B. Ekanayake told the Daily News that the length of the road is 40.90km which is being renovated with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

The 18 hair-pin bends will be widened on a special request by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Minister said that the President has instructed the officials to renovate the road without causing any damage to the historical values and natural beauty of the Kandy-Mahiyanganaya road which has a history of over 2,500 years.

It has also been planned to construct nine bridges and 437 box culverts along the road. Meanwhile, the roadway is being widened to prevent road accidents and to make it suitable for local weather and geographical conditions.

The Minister said the renovation of the road would provide easy accesses for nearly 3,000 vehicles plying on it daily.

The road would also provide great opportunities for the people who are engaged in sand mining in the Mahaweli river.

Nearly 800 sand trucks plying on the A-29 road daily and sand miners will be able to transport their sand easily to other areas of the country after the renovation.

Keangnam Enterprises Limited handles the renovation under the supervision of the Highways and Road Development Ministry and the Road Development Authority.