The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the purchase of new vehicles and machinery worth an estimated Rs. 1.2 billion for the operation and maintenance of Sri Lanka’s expressway network.
The country currently has around 312 kilometres of expressway in service, and the oldest sections have been operating for about a decade.
New sections due by 2028
Three further expressway sections covering roughly 92 kilometres are expected to open between 2027 and 2028. They are the Port Access Expressway, Central Expressway Section I from Kadawatha to Mirigama, and Section III from Pothuhara to Galagedara.
The Road Development Authority has identified a need for additional vehicles and machinery to maintain those new stretches once they open. Some of the equipment currently in use on existing expressways also needs replacing because of its age.
Funded from expressway revenue
The Cabinet accordingly approved a proposal submitted by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to purchase 21 vehicles and machinery items at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.2 billion.
The cost will be met using revenue generated from the expressways themselves, rather than from general Treasury allocations.
