Motorists caught in Friday night’s traffic hell

Travellers to the airport were, among others, held up on Friday night for more than two hours due to the sudden closure of the roads around Kelaniya bridge and the Grand Pass area.

The traffic congestion was caused by the early closure of the Kelaniya new bridge. Usually, the bridge was closed at 10 p.m. but on Friday it was closed at 8 p.m. as part of new measures adopted to enhance security in the city.

But angry motorists said no traffic policeman was on the road to control the traffic. They said the situation was aggravated by a long line of port-bound containers along the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha. Asked about the inconvenience caused to air travellers, some of whom had missed their flights, a police officer said they should leave early to avoid being caught in traffic blocks.