Sri Lanka’s history in transport and connectivity will be rewritten today (23) with the Government opening the Colombo- Hambantota Expressway.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will be present at the opening today at 3 pm. The project has already cost US $ 1.5 billion, Secretary to the Ministry of Roads and Highways (Eng) R.W.R. Premasiri told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
Accordingly, Colombo and Barawakumbura in the deep South will be connected, which is already linked to the Hambantota Port and the Mattala Airport. Colombo will now be directly connected to Mattala and Hambantota, thereby reducing the transit time between Colombo and Hambantota Port and the Mattala Airport by one-and-a-half hours.
This would be a major advantage even for tourists who arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport to access Hambantota and the deep South which will also lead to other areas of tourist attraction such as Arugam Bay, Udawalawe, Yala, Tissamaharamaya and Kataragama, Premasiri said. The links between Colombo and Hambantota began in 2013 by the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The first stage was: Matara – Beliatta, a 30-kilometre stretch where construction work commenced in January 2016 and civil works construction had been already completed.
• Section 2 : Beliatta - Wetiya (30 km - 56 km)
The Southern Expressway extends from Beliatta, a length of 26 km up to Wetiya, the construction work of which is now completed.
Section 3 :Wetiya – Andarawewa (56km - 71 km)
Construction work on this section commenced in January 2016 and civil work has been already completed. The length of this section is 15 km.
Section 4: Mattala to Hambanthota via Andarawewa (71km - 96 km). Construction work commenced in January 2016 and civil work construction has been already completed. The length is 25 km. Construction work on the Expressway sections of these four has been almost completed and the entire track will be open to the public today (23).