Skip to main content

Sri Lanka road proposal

A new tolled highway linking Colombo with Kandy could be built with financial support from Malaysia.
March 1, 2012 Read time: 1 min
A new tolled highway linking Colombo with Kandy could be built with financial support from Malaysia. The Malaysian Government is considering its options with regard to the US$1 billion plan for the Colombo-Kandy Toll Expressway. A proposal to build the 115km highway link that was originally submitted in 2003 will be resubmitted to the Government of Sri Lanka. The proposed highway link was dropped later in 2003 following feasibility studies highlighting various issues relating to the highway. However the project may now be revived with Malaysian contractors carrying out the work and this would reduce the current journey time of three hours to 55 minutes along the route.

Sri Lanka's highway network is now improving after several decades of under-investment and neglect. The new Southern Expressway is expected to open in December 2011, which will improve the connection between capital Colombo and Galle in the south. The plans call for the highway to be extended to Matara and Hambanthota.

Related Content

  • How Florida paved the way for availability payments in the US
    November 21, 2014
    New financing models have been used to deliver key transport links in the US - * Patrick D Harder and Brandon J Davis Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) public-private partnership (PPP) programme has made impressive progress, setting precedents for US transportation planning and funding. On March 26th 2014, FDOT opened 16km of new reversible express lanes as part of its US$1.8 billion I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements Project. Just a few months later, on August 3rd 2014, FDOT opened twin tunnel
  • Sri Lanka secures ADB loan of $800m towards latest road revamps
    October 26, 2015
    The Asian Development Bank will loan US$800 million to Sri Lanka toward phase three of the country’s Integrated Road Investment Programme. The programme will improve more than 3,100km of rural roads and nearly 250km of national roads at a total cost $906 million. Work will take place in Sabaragamu provinces, Kaluthara District, Central, North Central and North Western Provinces. Sri Lanka recently announced that $292 million has been secured from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for a new
  • Circular route proposed for Myanmar’s capital
    February 17, 2015
    Talks are in hand in Myanmar with regard to a new circular raised road route around capital Yangon. The aim of the project would be to cut congestion by constructing a new elevated road network. The construction cost is expected to be around US$2.5 billion. Work looks likely to commence in the 2015-1016 period following feasibility studies and a tender process. The project is expected to have considerable input from the private sector and to be carried out under a build-operate-transfer model. A number of i
  • Boom in Asian infrastructure investment
    April 5, 2012
    Investment in China and India continues unabated, but other nations on the continent are eager to attract companies as Patrick Smith reports Asia is still booming despite the current economic crisis, and new infrastructure programmes are constantly coming on stream. Powerhouses China and India, with their double-digit growth figures and huge infrastructure plans (in scope and cost), are leading the way and are still magnets for businesses wishing to expand, both in terms of facilities and customers. But oth