The Secretary of the Ministry of Highways Admiral (retd.) Wasantha Karannagoda, has said that the government is to invest over one billion dollars in projects to construct major road networks under President Mahinda Rajapaksa's development plan.
Addressing media yesterday in Colombo, Karannagoda has said that Sri Lanka's road network is to undergo a tremendous facelift.
"Over $1billion worth projects are under way within two years up to the end of 2011 and top priority has been given to the road projects." Reuters quoted the Highways Secretary.
According to Karannagoda the funds for these road projects will come from the Japanese Bank for International Corporation, the Asia Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and China.
The Cabinet in May approved a project to develop 90 kilometers of Ambepussa - Dambulla Road, and 43 kilometers of Kantale - Trincomalee Road with US $ 100 million World Bank assistance provided under the Road Rehabilitation and Development Programme.
Rehabilitation of 38 kilometers from Mankulam to Wellankulam road and 25.3 kilometers of Paranthan-Pooneryn road with assistance provided by the Asian Development Bank under Conflict Affected Road Expansion (CARE) project has also been approved by the Cabinet.
Construction work has commenced last year to build an Outer Circular Highway, a beltway around Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to ease traffic congestion on main roads.
The proposed 29-kilometer highway will start from Kerawalapitiya along the Colombo - Katunayake Expressway to link Southern Expressway crossing A-4 highway at Kottawa and the main A-1 Colombo-Kandy highway at Kadawatha. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the project.
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