In Colombo city:

RDA to reduce traffic congestion

Road Development Authority Director Administration has sent us the following article in response to the feature titled ‘Colombo-Katunayake Expressway - Travel time savings’ which appeared in this page on February 1, 2011

The Road Development Authority( RDA) has already taken initiatives to implement network capacity enhancement programs in Colombo and suburbs.

There are many projects that have been identified for the enhancement of road capacity and reduction of traffic congestion of the road network. Development of expressway network is one of the key initiatives in this respect. The expressway network consists of following;

* Colombo-Katunayake Expressway
* Outer Circular Highway
*Southern Highway
*Colombo-Kandy Highway

At present the vehicles coming from Katunayake corridor, use the Peliyagoda-Puttalam Road and enter Colombo city either through Japan Friendship Bridge or New Kelani Bridge. This traffic consists of traffic to Colombo city as well as through traffic towards Southern part of Colombo and beyond.

The Colombo-Katunayake expressway connected to Outer Circular Highway at Kerawalapitiya interchange which facilitate the diversion of traffic towards Southern part of Colombo without using core areas of the Colombo city.

This will reduce the traffic concentration of new Kelani Bridge, Japan Friendship Bridge and roads closer to these bridges. This will increase the travel speed within Colombo city.

The Outer Circular Highway has been designed to connect all trunk roads radiating from Colombo. This will facilitate the distribution of traffic to and from City centre thus reducing the traffic concentration. Mattakkuliya and Kelanisiri bridges have been constructed to divert through traffic away from City centre.

Approach roads to these bridges are at various stages of implementation and expected to be completed before commissioning of Colombo-Katunayake expressway.

Traffic passing the Kelanisiri bridge can reach Battaramulla-Malabe Road through road sections identified for improvement.

Further, through traffic comes from Colombo-Kandy Road can use the Kelanisiri bridge by-passing New Kelani bridge which would contribute to reduce the traffic congestion in the city area.

Proposed flyover at Borella Junction and a grade separate interchange on the Baseline Road at Orugodawatta junction will increase the traffic capacity of Baseline Road, thus reducing the traffic congestion. With the implementation of the proposed Area Traffic Control System for Colombo city and suburbs will regulate the traffic flow and reduce the delays currently taking place in the city.

This project includes improvement of junctions in the city and fixing of centrally control traffic signal system at junctions.

In future plans of RDA, it is identified that expansion of New Kelani Bridge to eight lanes or appropriate capacity with grade separated road system to increase the capacity of Colombo entry points.

A project is under way to study and construct an elevated highway from Kiribathgoda to Ratmalana on Baseline Road providing connections between Peliyagoda, Borella and Kirulapone.

The proposed developments to the existing network and new constructions mentioned above will ease the traffic congestion in the city to a great extent.