Tollway highway to Galle opens in September

Hemanthi GURUGE

Sri Lanka’s first toll expressway from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa (Galle) will open next month heralding a new era in the local transport sector.

The second sector will be from Pinnaduwa to Matara. Road Development Authority Engineer K.D Rukshan Hemantha Rupasinghe told the Daily News that the total expenditure of the southern express way from Pinnaduwa to Kottawa is about Rs 60 billion and is partly funded by the government, the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The expressway will have eight ‘toll’ points in Kottawa, Kahathuduwa, Galanigama, Donangoda, Welipanna, Kurundugaha Hethakma, Baddegama and Pinnaduwa.

Initially there would be two lanes and the travel time to Pinnaduwa will be around one hour.

The maximum speed on the highway is 100 kmph.

Light vehicles will be charged three rupees per kilometre.

Heavy vehicles will also be allowed on the expressway and they will be charged nine rupees per kilometre.

Luxury buses will be allowed to travel on the southern highway and the bus toll will be less than Rs 350. Motorcycles, bicycles, three wheelers, tractors are prohibited to enter the southern expressway.