By unusuma.lk on (LK time)
Colombo, March 14 – The estimated expense for phase 1 of the Central Expressway (Kadawata – Meerigama section) has more than doubled since 2015 when the project contract was first signed, a deputy minister said yesterday.
The initial contract for the project was signed in 2015 and another in 2016, but successive administrations failed to implement it over the past decade.
Deputy Minister of Transport Dr. Prasanna Gunasena told that the cost had escalated from Rs.158 billion in the initial estimate to Rs.350 billion due to factors such as claims made by the construction firm over postponements and the depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee against the US dollar.
The 36-kilometre segment of phase one is being executed with financial assistance from EXIM Bank of China.
The Deputy Minister said some structures built at the beginning had deteriorated after the project halted.
“To repair them, the government has set aside Rs. 7 billion,” he stated.
The government has now prioritised finishing the Central Expressway within its term. The construction on the Pothuhera- Rambukkana section is ongoing. Land acquisition for the next phase up to Galagedara in Kandy has been finalised, according to him.
The Central Expressway consists of four segments, including the Kurunegala- Dambulla stretch.
“We will focus on constructing another expressway only after the Central Expressway is completed. Further delays mean additional costs. If we initiate phase 1 construction now, it will take three years to finish,” he noted.
