The
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
–
Katunayake
Katunayake (, ), is a suburb of Negombo in Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is the site of Bandaranaike International Airport, the primary international air gateway to Sri Lanka. With the change of government in 1977 and the introduction of the op ...
Expressway is
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
's second E Class highway.
The highway links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with
Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport, Colombo–Bandaranaike International Airport, and locally as Katunayake International Airport) (IATA airport code, IATA: CMB, ICAO airport code, ICAO: VC ...
, Katunayake and
Negombo
Negombo (, ), also known as Punchi Romaya (Little Rome), is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province, Sri Lanka, Western Province, from Colombo via the E03 expressway ...
. Construction on the highway began in October 2009, and it was opened on 27 October 2013, by
former president Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...
.
The highway has three lanes each way from Colombo to Peliyagoda, and two lanes each way from Peliyagoda to Katunayake, with the width ranging from .
The total cost of the project was US $292 million.
Exim Bank of China
Exim is a mail transfer agent (MTA) used on Unix-like operating systems. Exim is a free software distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License, and it aims to be a general and flexible mailer with extensive facilities for checkin ...
funded US$248.2 million of the total cost and the government of Sri Lanka spent US$45 million on the project.
The speed limit is for the first and for the rest of the road.
The Expressway has 42 bridges and 88 culverts including a 480 metre long viaduct at Hunupitiya and an 800-metre viaduct at Katunayake.
The opening of the highway has allowed people to travel between Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, and Katunayake, the major international airport of Sri Lanka, within 15 minutes.
The E03 expressway links the capital Colombo with one of the major commercial hubs in the country and the major tourist destination, Negombo, within 20 minutes. The
Sri Lanka Transport Board
The Sri Lanka Transport Board (Tamil language, Tamil: இலங்கை போக்குவரத்து சபை "Ilaṅkai pōkkuvarattu capai")(Sinhala language, Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා ගමනාගමන මණ්ඩල ...
(SLTB) has also commenced a luxury bus service on the road, conducting services between Colombo and Negombo.
History
The contract was awarded to
China Metallurgical Group Corporation
China Metallurgical Group Corporation (CMGC, ) is a Chinese state-owned enterprise headquartered in Beijing. It is primarily involved in engineering contracting, metallurgical construction, resource development, and mining.
On December 8, 2015 ...
(MCC) by the Government of Sri Lanka and the agreement was signed on 17 August 2008. The project loan agreements were signed on 6 August 2009 and the construction commenced on 18 August 2009.
The expressway was opened on 27 October 2013 by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...
.
Interchanges
#New Kelani Bridge Interchange
#Peliyagoda Interchange
#Kerawalapitiya Interchange (connect with
Outer Circular Expressway)
#Ja-Ela Interchange
#Katunayake Interchange
Gallery
File:Birds-Eye Shot of CKE.jpg, Birds-Eye Shot of CKE
File:CKE at night.jpg, CKE at night
File:CKE EO3.jpg, CKE
File:Colombo Katunayake Expressway declared open.jpg, Colombo Katunayake Expressway declared open
File:Display Sign on CKE.jpg, Display Sign on CKE
File:Electronic Display Sign - CKE.jpg, Electronic Display Sign - CKE
File:A road sign in Colombo - Katunayake Expressway, Sri Lanka.jpg, A road sign
File:Elevated section of the CKE.jpg, Elevated section of the CKE
File:ConstructionE03-January2012-01.JPG, CKE under construction in 2012.
See also
*
*
*
List of A-Grade highways in Sri Lanka
This is a list of A-grade roads in Sri Lanka sorted by route number. A class roads are further classified in to sub classes AA, AB and AC.
Roads
Class AA Roads
Class AB Roads
Class AC Roads
See also
* List of B-Grade highways in Sri ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombo-Katunayake Expressway
E03 expressway