The construction work on the northern expressway linking Colombo to Kurunegala, Dambulla and Kandy, will begin in January, Minister Nirmala Kotalawala said yesterday.

Under the first phase, the proposed expressway will be linked to the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway and will extend up to Kurunegala via Ederamulla and Meerigama, and then extended up to Katugastota in Kandy. The next phase will be the construction of the highway up to Dambulla.

Mr. Kotalawala, who is the Project Minister of Highways, told Daily Mirror that the expressway would be constructed in three stages under the concept ‘Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) with financial assistance from China.

“We will start work in January. We will also open the Galle-Matara stretch of the southern expressway in January. Simultaneously with this opening ceremony, we will start work on extending it up to Hambantota,” he said.

The minister said another expressway had been proposed between Bandaragama and Ratnapura while the stretch of the outer circular road up to Kaduwela would be commissioned in January. (Kelum Bandara)