Southern Expressway:
‘Gateway to Wonder’ opens tomorrow
* Dividends of development
* Four lanes, eight interchanges
* Maximum speed 100 kmph
Chaminda PERERA
The dream of Sri Lankans to reach their desired Southern destination
in double-quick time will become a reality with the opening of the
country’s first Expressway, ‘The Gateway to Wonder’ by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa tomorrow.
This is a mega development project launched by the government to
ensure that all segments of the country receive the dividends of
development.
The opening of the 95.2 km road from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa, the first
phase of the Colombo-Matara Expressway will greatly facilitate the
country’s development drive.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will open the access road to the
Expressway from Galle by unveiling the plaque at 9.27 am tomorrow and he
will enter the Expressway from Pinnaduwa amidst the chanting of Seth
Pirith by members of the Maha Sangha.
The President will mark the opening of the country’s first Expressway
by unveiling the commemorative plaque at Welipenna. A public rally to
mark the opening of the Expressway will also be held at the Karandeniya
Public Grounds under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
This four-lane Expressway consisting of eight inter-changes, namely,
Kottawa, Kahatuduwa, Galenigama, Dodangoda, Welipenna,
Kurundugahahetekma, Baddegama and Pinnaduwa will connect the port city
of Galle with the capital Colombo providing a great impetus to
development in all sectors of the country.
This is the first and the longest Expressway of the proposed
Expressway network of Sri Lanka.
It runs from Kottawa to Matara, a stretch of 128 kilometres with four
lanes.
The Police Department has established special Police division
comprising more than 500 personnel who will be on duty round the clock
along the Expressway.
Every motorist need to obtain an electronic ticket from the toll gate
set up at every entry point to the Expressway and the tickets should be
submitted to the toll collector at the end of their destination.
All interchanges are connected to main roads leading to Hatton,
Ratnapura, Agalawatta, Horana, Aluthgama, Ambalangoda and Ellpitiya,
Udugama Galle and Matara.
Five hundred officers from the RDA will also be deployed for various
duties on the Expressway. New machinery and vehicles have been imported
for the maintenance of the road and a paramedic unit has also been
established to provide assistance during an accident.
The Police and RDA officials will monitor all vehicles plying on the
roads through CCTV cameras. The RDA officials said that the area around
the interchanges will be closely monitored by the RDA and Police
officials as highest number of accidents on Expressway have been
reported near interchanges.
RDA officials added that every office at interchanges have been
provided with new vehicles including ambulances and four vehicles will
be operating on the Expressway between two interchanges at any given
time.
A car plying from Kottawa to Kahatuduwa will have to pay a toll
charge fee of Rs 100 while a sum of Rs 400 is charged from a car plying
from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa as toll charge. All light vehicles plying from
the Kottawa interchange to Kahatuduwa will have to pay Rs 200 as toll
charges. Light vehicles plying from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa are charged Rs
700.
The maximum speed of the expressway is 100 kilometres per hour.
Four types of vehicles, including all cars, jeeps, saloon station
wagons, cabs, passenger vans, trucks, all buses are allowed to enter the
Expressway.
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