The rehabilitation of a total of 602.79km of roads by 2011.
Background
National roads carry over 70 percent of the traffic in Sri Lanka. Uncontrolled roadside development, years of neglect and poor road maintenance, have resulted in low travel speeds and poor levels of service. This has discouraged long distance traffic and hindered the spread of economic activities and development outside the Colombo Metropolitan Area (CMA). Given the country’s road density of 1.5 km/km, is much higher than India, Pakistan, and even Bangladesh, a focus on asset preservation is vital for Sri Lanka.
The Roads Sector Assistance Project is implemented by the Ministry of Highways and Road Developmentwith support from the World Bank and in collaboration with the Roads Development Authority and the Ministry of Local Government and Local Authorities
“Improving roads will also improve opportunities for youth in rural areas to access employment opportunities, improve village economies and reduce poverty” said Ms. Naoko Ishii, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka. Her comments were based on a recent study on “Reducing Graduate Unemployment in Sri Lanka ” by the World Bank, which found that each additional minute to a main road increased the hazard of unemployment by 3 percent.
Goals
Support the government of Sri Lanka’s efforts to lower transportation costs through sustainable delivery of an efficient national road system that serves the needs of road users and the Sri Lankan public at large.
1. Maintenance and Rehabilitation of;
National Roads by resurfacing and improving 602 km of Class A and B roads in the National road network.
Rural Roads by rehabilitating and maintaining about 160 km of rural roads in nine local government areas (Pradeshiya Sabhas). Selection of roads is based on the recently completed poverty map for Sri Lanka.
2. Institutional Strengthening and Policy Support through the provision of technical assistance to implement improved policies for road maintenance financing.
“The approach has been to provide a quick overlay of the selected priority roads without any acquisition of land with substantial improvements to drainage, and with a focus towards continuous maintenance of the national road network,” said Amali Rakapaksa, World Bank Infrastructure Specialist and Team Leader. “This project has taken into account measures to safeguard social and environmental issues that may trigger if not managed well and for the first time in a road project in Sri Lanka, HIV/AIDS awareness training has also been conducted.”
| Road | From | To | Length (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A008 | Ingiriya | Ratnapura | 33.74 |
| A001 | Nittambuwa | Kandy | 75.20 |
| A017 | Galle | Deniyaya | 67.97 |
| B098 | Denagama | Mulatiyana | 23.30 |
| B142 | Hakmana | Talahanduwa | |
| A016 | Hali Ela | Bandarawela | 21.74 |
| B044 | Bandarawela | Welimada | 20.20 |
| A009 | Medawachchiya | NCP Boundary | |
| A004 | Wellawaya | Siyambalanduwa | 69.15 |
| A025 | Siyambalanduwa | Ampara | 78.84 |
| A031 | Ampara | Karativu | |
| A011 | Maradankadawala | Jayanthipura | 59.90 |
| A011 | Jayanthipura | Trikkandimadu | 68.86 |
| A010 | Padeniya | Puttalam | 61.37 |
| TOTAL | 602.79 |
- 150 km of national roads improved since project implementation in 2006
- Reduction by 4 percent road network in poor and bad conditions. (now 48 percent compared to 52 percent previously)
- Average Vehicle Operating Costs for the National Highways reduced from LKR.23.9/km (Give equivalent in US$) to LKR 15.37/km (Give equivalent in US$).
- HIV/AIDS training - Seven sessions on HIV/AIDS needs assessment and two workshops on information, education and communication for workers have been conducted in partnership with Sri Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Sharamadana Sangamaya
- Training and awareness on the management of environmental issues including health and safety measures have been conducted in all project sites.
- Increased community awareness and ownership of the dividends of well maintained roads.
The Road Sector Assistance Project commenced in 2006 with a credit of US$ 100 million.
Additional funding of US$ 98 million granted through the International Development Association (IDA)to meet increased expenditure due to the increase in prices in oil-based construction materials due to global oil price increases.
RSS