Proposal for elevated highways being put forward for Cabinet approval

The Mega-polis and Western Development Ministry along with the Highways Ministry is to hand over a proposal pertaining to the elevated highways for Cabinet approval.

Secretary to the Ministry of Mega-polis and Western Development Nihal Rupasinghe was quoted by loac media as saying that this is a three year project which was now being formulated.

Accordingly, a 21.6 kilometer-long elevated highway would be built from Athurugriya to Colombo Fort via Malabe, Battaramulla, Rajagiriya, Dematagoda and Orugodawatte, while such other elevated highway from the Kelaniya Bridge would also be linked to the project.

The elevated highways are to be linked with the existing Colombo outer-circular road at Pore in Athurugriya, with the Katunayake Expressway at the Kelani Bridge, while another extension would be linked with Baseline Road near the Railway Grounds at Dematagoda, he explained.

The elevated highways, that are to be newly constructed to ease traffic congestions, would have access from Malabe, the Koswatta junction, Rajagiriya, Madinnagoda and Kolonnawa. This would be in addition to access from a point close to the Fort Railway station, the Port City, the Kelani Bridge and Dematagoda. It is also to be further extended to Duplication Road. The proposed project is expected to be completed within a period of three years, Rupasinghe added.

Meanwhile  environmentalists in Kandy have opposed the above proposal of building a bridge over the Kandy Lake, as the Kandy Lake is deemed sacred and should not be violated.

They further said that if a bridge was to be built over the Kandy Lake, the entire landscape would be  lost.