The newly opened extension of the Southern Expressway, from Matara to Barawakumbuka, will be open for traffic from midnight today (24), the Road Development Authority (RDA) said.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated the final stage of Southern Expressway- the extension from Palatuwa to Barawakumbuka, yesterday (23).
The Southern Expressway links the Mattala Airport and Hambantota Harbour to the Commercial Capital, Colombo.
After opening the road near Godagama, Palatuwa interchange, the President and Prime Minister travelled on the Southern Expressway from Palatuwa to Barawakumbuka.
The length of the extension commissioned today from Palatuwa to Barawakumbuka of the Southern Expressway is 58 km and it cost Rs. 169 billion.
The distance from Palatuwa to Hambantota is 96 km. The sections from Matara to Beliatta, Beliatta to Barawakumbuka, Barawakumbuka to Andarawewa and Andarawewa to Mattala were completed under 04 stages and the cost for these four stages was Rs. 225 billion.
The 222 kilometer long Southern Expressway is the longest expressway in the country. With the opening of the new extension of the Southern Expressway, motorists will be able to travel to Kataragama from Colombo within 3 and a half hour.
