Most expensive highway
in the world
There is no dispute that the Colombo-Katunayake
Expressway (CKE) is essential for the development of Sri Lanka but
there is serious concern over its selected road trace. Can Sri Lanka
afford two luxury expressways?
The proposed CKE extends only up to Peliyagoda from Katunayake a
distance of 24 km at an estimated cost of Rs.25 billion or could
be more. The proposed Colombo-Kandy Expressway from Kadawatha via
Minuwangoda to Kandy is a distance of 98 km at an estimated cost
of Rs 30 billion and the distance between the CKE and the Kandy-Colombo
Expressway is 10 to15 km.
A better option is to amalgamate these two expressways into one
and have the new expressway over existing railway lines. The only
difference being that to obtain the optimum benefit the expressway
should commence from the city of Colombo with a link to the city
and the Port of Colombo and extending up to Katunayake Airport and
thereafter the same expressway to continue to Kandy and onto the
north and east. This concept is the easiest, fastest and the most
economical and environmentally friendly solution with minimum land
acquisition, since the existing railway lines have a 66ft. reservation
for the expansion of the Railways. Since the Chinese Government
has already allocated funds for the CKE this money could be best
utilized in the above manner. Consideration to this concept can
be given by the Sri Lanka government in consultation with the Chinese
Government.
The Road Development Authority's claim that the land acquisition
and sand fill for the proposed CKE has already cost the government
Rs.4.5 billion could be recovered by the sale of the sand or both.
In India, several major cities like Delhi and Bangalore are presently
designing elevated expressways to reach the airport. In Bangkok,
Singapore and Hong Kong and several other major cities the elevated
expressways are already existing and are extensively used for optimal
utilization of travel. Why not in Sri Lanka?
From an urban design point of view the elevated expressway as proposed
will be of enormous value since it would be possible to integrate
road and rail transportation, commercial development, and container
yards at the terminals similar to the practice in other developed
countries. This way several intersections proposed presently at
a huge cost could be avoided. Why is the Sri Lanka government proceeding
with this unrealistic Colombo (Peliyagoda)/Katunayake expressway
when officials, academics and professionals and even multi-lateral
funding agencies have been critical of this 24 km expressway which
is said to be the most expensive highway in the world.
Furthermore, a Rs.4 billion express railway between Katunayake and
Ratmalana is in the pipeline. How could the government justify this
huge cost of Rs.55 billion for the new expressways, or at least
recover part of the cost within a reasonable time frame?
Surath Wickramasinghe,
Architect
Colombo
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