The Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena - Acting Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development

¶ 01 [11.53 a.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Speaker, regarding the Motion to continue construction of the Ruwanpura Expressway: before we assumed office, the project had been fragmented and then halted. The original plan covered Kahatuduwa–Ratnapura–Pelmadulla, with Phase I being Kahatuduwa–Ingiriya (26.3 km), commenced in May 2021 under domestic bank financing, with a 2.5-year contract period. Due to the economic crisis, works were temporarily halted in May 2022 and fully stopped in October 2022.

¶ 03 We now prioritize resuming Kahatuduwa–Ingiriya. The Road Development Authority (RDA) under our Ministry is working on modalities. Large projects should, where possible, be financed with external borrowing while local funds are reserved for smaller rural works. We are exploring both investor-backed and domestic funding options. The Ingiriya–Ratnapura stretch has many curves and longer construction time; we aim to straighten and extend to Ratnapura with minimal interchanges.

¶ 04 We will integrate the Ruwanpura Expressway with the Kelani Valley (KV) Railway extension; we cannot do one without the other. From Avissawella to Kosgama there are four level crossings creating traffic and limiting train speeds. We plan to realign both the road and rail to bypass these crossings, run parallel to the highway up to Kosgama, and then diverge the rail. Resettlement will be required — roughly 10–15 houses fully affected and some partially, with compensation. We propose RDA to handle earthworks and structures for the rail to save time, with a Cabinet Paper to that effect for an integrated build.

¶ 05 A Cabinet Paper was signed yesterday to obtain High Level Procurement Committee approval to conduct a feasibility study from Avissawella to Ratnapura for the KV line. Ratnapura–Padukka will be single track; Padukka–Maradana double track; Makumbura–Maradana will be grade-separated. We expect the KV line to complete earlier than the expressway, targeting around 2029–2030.

¶ 06 On the Central Expressway, we restarted Kadawatha–Mirigama (37 km) including 500 m to connect to the Outer Circular Highway, targeting completion before end-2028. Pothuhera–Rambukkana surfacing contracts have been awarded, targeting completion by end-2027. We are seeking an investor for Rambukkana–Galagedara; if not, we will proceed with domestic funds. We also plan to commence the 66 km Kurunegala–Dambulla section; land acquisition is underway.

¶ 07 Development in the North has also been prioritized: under RDA we commenced the two-lane Vattuvakal Bridge in Mullaitivu (Rs. 1.4 billion). We opened the road from Palali to Paalaly–Peduruthuduwa Junction that was closed for 34 years; SLTB has commenced bus service on Route 749. We began upgrading the Jaffna rail signalling from Mahai to Omanthai, including elephant underpasses, with about 85% progress, and started replacing five century-old rail bridges with new ones.

¶ 08 In conclusion, we will commence the Ruwanpura Expressway and, even sooner, the Ratnapura KV Railway extension, while advancing multimodal transport and urban development integration.