The construction work on the section of the Central Expressway from Pothuhera to Rambukkana will be completed before the section from Kadawatha to Mirigama is finalized by the year 2028, the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake has stated.

Speaking at the official ceremony to mark the recommencement of construction on the Kadawatha to Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, the Minister noted that the construction of this stretch is expected to be completed within 32 months, by the year 2028.

Accordingly, the construction of the section from Pothuhera to Rambukkana is planned to be completed before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April 2028, and the connecting roads around Rambukkana will also be developed in line with that.

The Minister further commented:

“Next, we expect to receive approval, most likely within this year, to begin construction of the expressway from Rambukkana to Galagedara. We’ve already started preliminary work, including all relevant designs, from the RD (Road Development) side.

There’s also the port access road, which is a significant route with some issues. About 98% of it is complete, but the remaining 2% has been delayed for two years. We hope to finish that by the middle of next year.

Recently, in discussions with the President, we reached an agreement to recommence work on the Ruwanpura Expressway from Ratnapura to Pelmadulla, which had been halted from the Colombo side. Now, we’ve received approval to begin construction from Ingiriya onwards. We expect to start the initial work very soon. Additionally, we have plans to widen the existing roads from Ingiriya to Ratnapura.”