Skip to main content

Big East Asia backing for Colombo, Sri Lanka expressway and bridge projects

China Merchants Holdings (International) Company and China Merchants Hua Jian Highway Investment Company have Sri Lankan government approval to build and operate an expressway from the capital, Colombo, to the central part of the country. With the recently won approval, both companies would plan, design, finance, build and operate the first section of the US$4.5 billion Northern Expressway system. The $1.5 billion first section of the expressway will be built in four stages, namely from Ambepussa to Kandy
February 26, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
China Merchants Holdings (International) Company and China Merchants Hua Jian Highway Investment Company have Sri Lankan government approval to build and operate an expressway from the capital, Colombo, to the central part of the country. With the recently won approval, both companies would plan, design, finance, build and operate the first section of the US$4.5 billion Northern Expressway system.

The $1.5 billion first section of the expressway will be built in four stages, namely from Ambepussa to Kandy (46km), Pellendeniya to Dambulla (62km), Enderamulla to Ambepussa via Mirigama (53km), and Mirigama to Pellendeniya in Kurunegala (39km).

Remaining in Colombo, the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) will provide a $342.05 million loan to build a bridge over the Kelani River north of the city. Designed to handle projected traffic volumes from 2020 to 2035, the new bridge will link an expressway network to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. The 40-year loan is provided under the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP), with a 10-year grace period, 0.1% annual interest and a 0.2% front-end fee.

Japan will also likely fund the first phase of a new mass rapid transit (MRT) network, and Sri Lanka is looking to build an elevated road network to deal with increasing traffic.

Related Content

  • Sri Lanka benefiting from external highway investment
    July 16, 2013
    Key highway projects in Sri Lanka are now moving forward. Chinese investment will finance a new tolled highway in Sri Lanka. The project for the US$1.5 billion tolled highway is being handled jointly by China Merchants Hua Jian Highway Investment Company and China Merchants Holdings (International) Company. The agreement is to build and operate the highway over a 25-30 year period, and which will be constructed in four separate phases. The first phase will be from Enderamulla to Ambepussa, with the second f
  • New bridge project for Sri Lanka
    September 30, 2013
    A bridge costing some US$321 million will be built in Sri Lanka to span the Kelani River. This new link will reduce congestion at Baseline Road and in the area of Peliyagoda. The bridge is expected to take three years to construct and will measure 415m long. The project is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is also funding the design detail and feasibility studies. Meanwhile the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved credit $75 million for the construction of roads l
  • New bridge to connect Sri Lanka capital
    September 2, 2015
    Sri Lanka plans to construct a new bridge that will improve transport connections to capital Colombo. The six lane bridge will span the Kelani River. It will be built parallel to the existing Kelani Bridge (Japan Friendship Bridge) and help cut congestion on this important travel route. The project is expected to cost US$335.6 million. The bridge will feature an elevated approach road and the project also includes the construction of interchanges linking the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE), Baseline Roa
  • Sri Lanka expressway – funding secured
    July 9, 2018
    The funding for a stretch of Sri Lanka’s Central Expressway project now looks to have been secured. A loan of nearly US$904 million from Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) will provide the necessary finance package for the project. The route of the Central Expressway runs from Colombo to Dambulla, having originally been called the Northern Expressway Project. This latest funding package will help pay for work to the 32.5km link running off to the east at Pothuhera and running to Galagedara, close