Development News from Sri Lanka: Yesterday, under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the construction of the new Rs. 28 billion Port Access Elevated Highway from New Kelani Bridge to Colombo Port City began.
Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Ports and Shipping Sagala Ratnayake and Minister for Highways and Road Development Kabir Hashim joined Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in laying the foundation stone for the highway at the Colombo Port premises.
The project agreement between the China Civil Engineering Construction Company and the Road Development Authority (RDA) was also signed on the occasion in the presence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and China’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Chang Xueyuan.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) awarded a $300 million loan to finance the building of the Rs 28 billion high toll road. The expressway will connect from the Port City via an underground tunnel to the Marine Drive without interrupting the beauty of the Galle Face.
Since the new Kelani Bridge will be connecting straight to the north side of the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway and extending to the south side of the Orugodawatta junction, connecting with the Port Access road will make it possible to move to the periphery of Colombo without any congestion. Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Power, Energy and Enterprise Development Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Justice and Prison Reform Thalatha Atukorala, Minister of Primary Industry and Social Empowerment Daya Gamage, Minister of Science, Technology and Research Sujeewa Senasinghe, Members of Parliament SM Marikkar and Mujibur Rahuman, Chairman of the Road Development Authority Nihal Suriyarachchi and
