The Port City Colombo Marina Promenade was opened to the public at a ceremony attended by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on January 9.
The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Embassy of China, was a part of the 65th anniversary celebrationsof diplomatic relations and 70th anniversary of the historic ‘Rubber-Rice Agreement’ between Sri Lanka and China. Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Namal Rajapaksa is the current President of the Sri Lanka-China Parliamentary Friendship Association.
The public started arriving to view the new landscapes from January 10. The promenade is open daily from 9am to 6 pm where people can access it freely by foot from the Galle Face Green side. According to CHEC Port City Colombo, an average of 2,000 to 3,000 people have arrived since the opening and the numbers are expected to increase over the weekend.
The public can walk up to the arched cable suspension iron footbridge constructed at the end of the Marina Promenade. Vehicles are not allowed to enter the site until the roadways are connected with the main road access point, which is predicted to complete at the end of the first quarter of this year. With that the public would be able to take vehicles inside Port City and use the vehicle park being built at present.
Considering the ongoing construction work at Port City Colombo, the public is requested to follow Covid-19 guidelines and safety precautions during their visit to the Marina Promenade.
The 500m beautifully landscaped Marina Promenade is one of the many public areas to open phase by phase as Port City Colombo construction progresses.
As per the masterplan, 91 hectares will be for public use, including 53 hectares of green spaces, 2 km beach stretch, 14 hectares of the central park, walkways, waterways, park connectors, and so on. Already, private service providers are operating a Yacht service, ATV rides, Beach Park (restaurant) and the golf range where the public can make a reservation for use.