Sri Lanka’s expressway system generated revenue of Rs. 196,119,425 over the four-day Avurudu festive period from April 10 to 13, according to the Road Development Authority.
Approximately 520,000 vehicles used the expressway network during the period, reflecting the traditional surge in traffic as families travel to home provinces for Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations. The highest single-day revenue was recorded on April 10 at over Rs. 5.9 million, coinciding with the pre-New Year travel peak. The figures cover all operational expressway corridors connecting Colombo with southern and central regions.
Safety concerns amid heavy traffic
The record traffic volumes came alongside heightened safety concerns. Police deployed CCTV monitoring and speed enforcement across the expressway network, while a fatal lorry crash on the Southern Expressway earlier in the week killed two people.
The Avurudu travel period has been marked by a sharp rise in road accidents nationwide, with 49 fatalities recorded in the week leading up to the holiday. Transport authorities deployed 1,500 additional buses and special train services to manage the holiday rush.
The expressway revenue data provides one of the clearest quantitative measures of the Avurudu travel surge, with daily averages approaching Rs. 49 million across the four-day period.
