Rajapaksa unveils Lanka's first expressway

Nov 27, 2011 |

Colombo

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Mahinda Rajapaksa

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday opened Sri Lanka's first expressway, a 160 kms stretch running between Colombo and a coastal town, which is being built at a whopping cost of USD 77 billion with international assistance.

Rajapaksa opened the first phase of 126 kms between Colombo and the southern port town of Galle by entering the expressway at Galle end shortly past 11 in the morning.

He also drove a car covering the distance between two exit points of the highway, officials said.

The Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded the construction of the four lane expressway. It will provide 100 kms per hour vehicle speeds.

The journey from Colombo to Galle on the existing A2 motorway usually takes over three hours. The new expressway would cut short the journey to under an hour, officials said.

The second phase of the project is to be completed by 2013.

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