Development

Delays to the completion of the Port Access Elevated Highway (PAEH) which would link Colombo City Centre and Katunayake Expressway (CKE) via the port has faced further delays with the Engineer Representative abandoning the project. The elevated highway that was to connect Galle Face to New Kelani Bridge allowing a faster exit from the city limits, has now come to a standstill, according to sources. This is because the contactor is unable to continue work without the Consultant-Engineer appointed by the Road Development Authority which represents the government. “On October 1 the Engineer had abandoned the site without any prior notice,” a source revealed. “The abandonment has forced the contractor to stop many of the constructions as the contractor cannot do any work without the Consultant Engineer’s approval and certification, according to the contract,” sources added. According to construction experts the much-delayed project would at least drag for another two years before completion with the present unexpected delays. However Road Development Authority (RDA) denies a sudden abandonment by the Engineer and there being a delay, claiming that the project could be completed by mid-2026. Speaking , RDA Chairman T. Paskaran refuted the allegations and added that the work had been stopped and that there is no Engineer to oversee the work. “We have appointed a new Engineer and he is working now,” Paskaran said. RDA Chairman added that the engineer is an employee of the RDA itself. He said that the engineer had left as his contract was completed. Paskaran explained that there were alterations to the original plan of the elevated highway and there was a delay by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to approve the changes. He assured that the project would be completed and access would be granted to the facility by mid-2026. With a total estimated cost of Rs. 28 billion, the original project was started on September 10, 2019 with the laying of the foundation stone by the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The project was to ease the traffic in Colombo and connect the Katunyake-Colombo expressway with the port and Colombo city. The 5.3 kilometre elevated toll highway is to connect Galle Face and the highway entrance at the New Kelani Bridge and extend to the expressway network allowing motorists to reach the city within five minutes,avoiding major traffic jams in the Colombo suburbs. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has loaned the project US$300 million under the South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation programme with the remainder, US $60 million, financed by the Government. The RDA representing the government had signed the agreement with the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, in 2019. Originally planned to be completed by 2023, the project was subject to a delaydue to the Covid-19 pandemic led lock down. The project faced a series of setbacks including thefts by drug addicts. Later the project was also delayed as plans were made to include additional “ramps” for the entrances and exits to the elevated High way. The construction of the four-lane elevated expressway was also stopped after a mass grave was discovered in July 2024and other failures regarding land issues by the SLPA. Following the Consultant Engineer leaving the project, Chinese contractor China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCEC) has urged the RDA to make a replacement as per the Contract and provide clear interim directives to ensure proper administration and communication. Earlier RDA, the employer, had claimed around Rs. 1.2 billion from the contractor CCEC as delay charges.