Colombo - Katunayake Expressway (Peliyagoda)

Colombo - Katunayake Expressway E03 is Sri Lanka's second E Class highway.[1] The 25.8-kilometre-long (16.0 mi) highway will link the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake[2] and Negombo city. Construction on the highway began in October 2009, and it was opened on the 27th October 2013, By President Mahinda Rajapaksa.[3] The highway is planned to have three lanes each way from Colombo to Peliyagoda and two lanes each way, from Peliyagoda to Katunayake with the width ranging from 26 to 33.5 metres (85 to 110 ft).[4]
The total cost of the project is US $292 million. Exim Bank of China funded US$ 248.2 million of the total cost and the government of Sri Lanka has spent US$ 45 million on the project.[5]
Speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph) for the first eight kilometres (5.0 mi) and 100 km/h (62 mph) for the rest of the road.[1] The Expressway has 42 bridges and 88 culverts including a 480 metre long viaduct at Hunupitiya and a 800 metre viaduct at Katunayake.[6] 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.
E03 expressway, link the capital Colombo with one of the major commercial hub in the country and the major tourist destination Negombo city, within 20 minutes. Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has also commenced a luxury bus service on the road, conducting services between Colombo - Negombo.
lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka. The national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir. The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land area and was established on 30 June 1972.[1] Before the designation of the national park, the area was used for shifting cultivation (chena farming). The farmers were gradually removed once the national park was declared. The park is 165 kilometres (103 mi) from Colombo. Udawalawe is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan Elephants. It is a popular tourist destination and the third most visited park in the country.

www.rda.gov.lk/source/expressways.htm