News
Dark highways: Motorists slam RDA; authorities blame drug addicts
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Motorists are blaming the Road Development Authority for the hardships caused by the lack of a steady street light system on expressways.
Regular expressway users say visibility is compromised as, since 2020, there have been no street lamps operational on the Colombo-Katunayake expressway and the Kadawatha-Kerawalapitiya stretch of the outer circular expressway.
Breakdowns in power lines have also been reported from other areas, such as the segment near Gelanigama. Street lights do not work even at several exit-entry points, motorists say.
In a recent article, the Sunday Times highlighted the dangers posed to motorists due to the poor lighting on the motorway between Colombo and Katunayake.
Motorists say they thought the toll they paid was to maintain the expressway, but it appears the authorities are not acting responsibly to ensure proper lighting on the expressways.
When motorists complain to toll collectors, the stock response is: “Lights do not work because drug addicts have cut off the cables.” The lack of proper lighting on the Colombo-Katunayake expressway is also believed to have contributed to Thursday’s accident that caused the deaths of State Minister Sanath Nishantha and his personal security officer.
An expressway employee told the Sunday Times that the Colombo-Katunayake highway had been left in the dark because drug addicts had removed the copper wires and even the safety nets to sell them for scrap metal and find money for their next shot.
He said that it was only recently that the RDA restored lights at the Kalyani bridge on the new flyover, which was built with Japanese aid.
An Expressway Operation and Management Division official who requested anonymity said they had complained to the police about the thefts, but the thefts continued as suspects who got bail came back to steal the cables.
The official said they had raised the issue even at the National Security Council and called for the deployment of armed security where it was necessary.
He said they would be calling for tenders to fix the electricity connection and use aluminium electric cables instead of copper to light up the area between Kerwalapitiya and Katunayake.
The official added that they would also monitor how the drug addicts would react to their new move and gradually restore power using aluminium cables on the rest of the highway. He said they would spend at least Rs. 500 million to repair powerlines and street lamps at interchange areas of the entire
expressway system.
Transport and Highways Minister Banduala Gunwardena said a meeting would be held tomorrow to discuss ways of restoring the lighting system by introducing cheaper cables.
The senior official also said that they had arranged a special meeting with the police next week to discuss expressway safety issues. He said they would ask the police to be thorough in checking if the vehicles were suitable to travel on expressways and had proper front and rear lighting.
Road Development Authority Director General L.V.S. Weerakoon said he would address the media on Monday and would not be able to comment until then.
The Sunday Times highlighted issue on January 7
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