PM calls for Central Expressway to be fast-tracked

 Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa speaks with officials during his Central Expressway observation visit yesterday

• Undertakes tour of project after receiving complaints 
• Project was to be completed in July 2019 
• Project director says delays due to land acquisition issues and underperformance by some companies 

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called on contract companies to fast-track the completion of the Central Expressway, which was initially expected to be completed within five years. 

He made this observation while touring the project yesterday, after he received complaints of numerous delays, the Prime Minister’s Media said in a statement. 

During the visit Central Expressway Project Director K.H.M.A.K. Kehelella gave the Prime Minister an extensive update on the project and reasons for its delay, which included delays in land acquisitions in the construction of the second stage, which led to the project getting dragged beyond the initial deadline. 

Kehelella expressed these views following a discussion held with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during an inspection tour of the second stage of the Central Expressway at Mirigama.

During the tour, Kehelella pointed out that the failure to follow standard procedure to acquire land posed challenges to completing the project on time. He noted the entire project should have been completed in 30 months, which was in July 2019 but the expressway remains incomplete nearly a year after the deadline.

According to the statement, Kehelella pointed out that the contract was awarded to several local companies under four packages. However, he noted that the Government was unsatisfied with the progress of some companies. 

The Central Expressway project has been implemented in four stages; from Kadawatha to Mirigama (37 km), Mirigama to Kurunegala (39.28 km), Pothuhera to Galagedara (32.5 km), and Kurunegala to Dambulla (60.3 km). The second phase consists of four lanes, six interchanges.