The Government has issued new regulations amending the National Thoroughfares (User Fee) Regulation No. 1 of 2021 under the provisions of the National Thoroughfares Act, No. 40 of 2008, as published in a recent Gazette Extraordinary.
The amendments were made by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Bimal Rathnayaka, under the powers vested in him by Section 89(2)(c), read together with Sections 13 and 14 of the Act.
Under the revised regulations, Part A of the Schedule to the existing User Fee Regulations—specifically Regulations 3 and 7—has been repealed and replaced with new provisions. The Gazette states that the amendments are introduced without prejudice to any actions already taken under the previous regulations.
The revised user fee structure is categorized by vehicle type and applies to varying distances and exit points across the national expressway network.
The regulations specify three main categories of vehicles:
• Category 1: Vehicles with two axles and four wheels, or two axles and six wheels (dual wheels).
• Category 2: Vehicles with two axles and six wheels.
• Category 3: Heavy vehicles with more than two axles.
Further details are provided in the relevant Gazette Extraordinary.
