The country’s first showpiece purpose built modern highway, from Colombo to Matara, will be opened for traffic up to Galle on November 27 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The tolls set by the Road Development Authority for its use range from Rs 400 per a car or a dual purpose vehicle, for the entire distance from Kottawa to Matara, to Rs 700 for light motor coaches/light motor lorries and Rs 2,000 for heavy lorries. The minimum charge for short distances has been set at Rs. 100.
RDA sources said the charges were not tolls but user fees that it was entitled to charge in terms of the National Highways Act and the exact fees would be gazetted in the next few days.
Originally billed as a modest two lane highway, it was later expanded to four lanes and the costs too were also expected to rise exponentially to Rs 95 billion by the time the entire length is completed, up to Matara, by 2013.
Even though the highway is being built by two leading Japanese contractors and the China Harbours Corporation it has not been without hitches. More than an year ago an overhead bridge collapsed killing a schoolboy. More recently, up to about ten kilometers of recently carpeted sections had peeled off, forcing mainly the Chinese contractor to relay those areas, especially around Kurundugahahetepma and a little beyond Kottawa.
Meanwhile, the RDA will also begin public awareness programmes on the use of the country’s first purpose built highway. Sources said this was mainly to educate the public about the procedure for entry and exit, which could only be done at eight inter-changes specially built for the purpose. They are at Kottawa, Kahatuduwa, Gelanigama, Dodangoda, Welipenna, Kurundugahahetepma, Baddegama, and Pinnaduwa in Galle
RDA officials forecast that about 5,000 vehicles will use the expressway daily in the initial period after the opening and the number would increase later on.
Under this forecast, the government could earn about two million rupees a day from service fees on the expressway which allow speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour and will sharply reduce travel time between the capital and the south. (RA)
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