Express-Way Updates

[Le Sabre]

Havent heard much news on the southern expressway, colombo-katu , colombo -kandy and outer circular road projects.

Anybody has any updates on these projects so far.

Edited July 7, 2010 by Le Sabre

[Uthum]

It has been confirmed that the Southern Expressway will be commissioned to public on 18th November 2011.

You might have various comments, but would like to invite you to see some of photos of Southern Expressway (E01).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirilaka/

Edited October 15, 2011 by Uthum

[hyacc]

http://www.divaina.com/2011/10/16/news06.html

Edited October 16, 2011 by hyacc

[Scooter]

Tx for the excellent photos, Uthum.

[MkX]

  On 8/12/2011 at 12:54 AM, Californikan said:

First video of what it's like to drive on the almost complete Southern Expressway

If you look at this clip 1:52 - 1:53.. you can see how narrow the road is. There is not even space to keep one vehicle completely out of the road in case of an emergency..

[Schiffer]

the road surely is too narrow.

sorry for being pessimistic guys but, im looking forward to some crashes in the future

[Scooter]

It might be that this embedded video isn't doing the orginial footage and the actual road-width justice. Have a look at:

http://www.wideshaseva.com/home/southern_highway.html

and everything appears wider. The truck, too, doesn't seem to be parked hard-up against the Armco fencing.

[The Stig]

  On 10/15/2011 at 1:08 PM, Scooter said:

It might be that this embedded video isn't doing the orginial footage and the actual road-width justice. Have a look at:

http://www.wideshaseva.com/home/southern_highway.html

and everything appears wider. The truck, too, doesn't seem to be parked hard-up against the Armco fencing.

No it doesn't the guy can barely keep it in one lane

The link you posted is also from youtube, just watch it in full screen if you cant see properly from the embedded version (Not really rocket science) and its still not as wide as you want it to be.

[Scooter]

So, Stig, how wide do u think the traffic lane is? About 3.5m? How wide is the break-down shoulder at the parked truck point in the vid? Might be a little bit tight there, with the Armco protecting vehicles from a drop-off into a ditch or something, so, what you reckon the shoulder width there is? 1.8m ish? More? Seems enough space to square a broken down vehicle hard against the fencing and off the road in an emergency.

Have a squizz at Hyacc's 1.15 posted pic, above, the break-down shoulder in other areas is wide enough to land a 747 and have a New Year party at the same time.

By the way, talking about rocket science, there is a roadway design theory that shoulders should be kept narrow and relatively un-carpeted so as to reduce temptations to drivers to "undertake."

Mate, this expressway is a ripper of a road project, and a total credit to the SL engineers and the boys and girls on the shovels. Let's give them all credit for knowing what they're doing. The impact of this project on the country is going to be enormous.

[The Stig]

  On 10/16/2011 at 2:58 AM, Scooter said:

Mate, this expressway is a ripper of a road project, and a total credit to the SL engineers and the boys and girls on the shovels. Let's give them all credit for knowing what they're doing. The impact of this project on the country is going to be enormous.

Yes clearly its done in Sri Lankan style, take a look at post #403

[Californikan]

Entire section of the Southern Highway to be torn up and replaced due to poor constriction

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11B/Oct16_1318776809KA.php

[Sylvi]

According to above news, what I understand it is the responsibility of the RDA to monitor the quality of work done by the foreign contractor, after it is completely done now they find fault with the contractor is waste a of time. Contractor may do that re carpeting on their account. but the time taken for re doing, we Srilankans have to bare with more time, unable to use the road.

I have seen in foreign country's every 1/4 Th of a mile they do tests after completing the road few decades before they go further, by boring a hole. above is total negligence of planing by RDA.

RDA should have done the testing of the completed section by section, before the contractor starting the carpeting work further.

Srilankanas could have avoided further delays if RDA has taken steps in time.

I am not a highway engineer above is my opinion.

[malla]

Sri Lanka expressway closed for buses: minister

Oct 17, 2011 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's first expressway which is to be opened in November will be closed for passenger buses, highways minister Nirmala Kothelawala said.

"No state or private buses will be allowed on this road," Kothelawala. "Though there was a plan to allow buses at first we dropped it.

He said this was because buses in Sri Lanka were not of a sufficient standard to travel at high speeds on an expressway and be safe enough for passengers.

However, even now passenger buses travel at breakneck speeds on narrower road with sharper curves.

The expressway runs from Colombo to Galle. It is Sri Lanka's first toll road.

The road is expected to be opened for traffic in November, the minister said

[jaga]

I think it is a good idea to stop allowing buses for passenger safty as well as other road users safty.

[Uthum]

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  On 10/18/2011 at 2:45 AM, jaga said:

I think it is a good idea to stop allowing buses for passenger safty as well as other road users safty.

There are many safety issues like above. Following is one of issue.Stray dogs are also serious problem. Those who will drive along the expressway using car will be severely affected! If you hit a dog, your buffer (fron parts) will have to be replaced. Even more damages may result.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Uthum

[Scooter]

When the wife had a trip down the expressway a few weeks back, the vehicle she was in went over a dog lying on the road and the vehicle behind did the same to the same dog. Everyone thought the animal would have had it and gone to flat-dog heaven but they saw in the mirror that it picked itself up and wandered off quite happy! It had lain comotose on the road while the wheel tracks just passed on either side of it! Must have been named Lucky!

She said that they saw quite a few dogs on the road.

Nice pics, as usual, Uthum.

[Dragonfly]

Sri Lanka first expressway toll set at 400 rupees

Nov 07, 2011 (LBO) - The toll for cars using Sri Lanka's first expressway, scheduled to be opened later this month, has been set at 400 rupees for the full distance and a minimum of 100 rupees, an official said.

The southern expressway, linking Colombo with the town of Galle on the south coast, is to be formally opened on November 27, 2011 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A senior official of the Road Development Authority said the toll rates would be given legal sanction and formally announced soon.

Motorists in cars will be charged 400 rupees to travel from Makumbura, Kottawa, a suburb on the southern outskirts of Colombo from where the highway starts, to Pinnaduwa in Galle where it now ends.

The return toll will also be the same.

"The toll will depend on the distance travelled with the minimum toll being 100 rupees for a car," the RDA official told Vimasuma.com, our sister news website.

"We forecast that about 5,000 vehicles will use the expressway daily in the initial period after the highway is opened and the number to increase later on."

The toll is the equivalent to about three litres of petrol at current prices.

Under this forecast the government could earn about two million rupees a day from tolls on the expressway which allow speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour and will sharply reduce travel time between the capital and the island's south

[Dragonfly]

Southern Expressway Police Patrol Vehicles

[liya]

wow!

[Scooter]

wow x 2 !!!!

[Watchman]

that certainly is an impressive maintenance fleet.

[MAS]

It certainly is impressive. Hope our guys will maintain the "maintenance fleet" well.

[CARBON B4]

Subaru's for the cops... thats good.

[nexus]

nice that's a very fine vehicle line up.

[Simplelife]

  On 11/9/2011 at 6:21 AM, nexus said:

nice that's a very fine vehicle line up.

Indeed!

[4age]

who ever has been on the highway says its really good... more than what they had expected.. however dogs crossing the road seems to a common complain..