Speed Bump

Sep 05, 2011 (LBO) - The long-delayed opening of Sri Lanka's first expressway will be delayed further although construction of the road is over because toll booths and fuel stations are still being built, an official said. The opening of the first section of the southern expressway that was to have been in September has been put off till December, deputy minister of highways Nirmala Kotalawala said.

Construction work on the road from Makumbura, Kottawa, a southern suburb of Colombo, to Pinnaduwa in Galle, on the south coast, is over but work on other connected facilities and services is still not over, he told Vimasuma.

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"Work on laying a fibre optic cable to connect toll booths and on fuel stations and rest areas is still not over.

These will take a few more months.

Therefore, we believe the first section of the southern expressway can only be opened around December.

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The expressway, meant to reduce travel time and cost between Colombo and the south, was previously scheduled to have been opened in August.

The firbe optic cables are required to connect toll booths at several entry ramps to the expressway. Tolls will be charged upon exit from the highway.

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