UDA begins work on Rs. 1.1 b multi-storey car park to reduce traffic congestion in Colombo

• Access Engineering gets contract for first facility in Fort with space for 252 vehicles 

The Urban Development Authority (UDA) recently kicked off the construction of a 10-storey car park to ease traffic congestion in Colombo on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The move is part of building around 12 new car parks in urban cities including eight in the Colombo city. 

The first phase of the project commenced with the construction of a Telecom car park behind Lake House, Colombo Fort, at a cost of Rs. 1.1 billion. It will be built by Access Engineering Plc.

The cost is borne by the UDA and it will be the first multi-level car park to be built by a Government agency. The 10-storey 18,444-square-foot building can accommodate 252 vehicles.

A large shopping complex is to be constructed on the 2,015 square feet ground floor. The first and second floors of 2,540 square feet are to be handed over to the Colombo Fort Police Station. Vehicles can be parked from the third floor to the ninth floor and it is proposed to construct seven houses on the 10th floor.

Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing Sirinimal Perera who participated in the event said the car park would help reduce traffic congestion in the city of Colombo.

“This is a delayed project as it was planned in 2013 but has not been started in the last five years. All arrangements have already been made to complete this as an expeditious project. The construction of the main car park of this project will be completed within four years. Due to the lack of parking facilities for oncoming vehicles and vehicles coming to the surrounding buildings, there is a lot of traffic congestion. We hope to construct 12 car parks islandwide and eight of them will be built in the city of Colombo and the remaining four car parks outside Colombo. Our goal is to eliminate this traffic congestion in three to four years,” the official said.