President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed the Ministry of Highways to resume road development projects halted during the 2022 economic crisis and to prioritise urgent public requirements identified at district level meetings.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to restart road development initiatives that were suspended in 2022 when Sri Lanka faced severe economic difficulties. The directive emerged from a pre-Budget discussion and progress review held at the Presidential Secretariat on August 11, examining the ministry's 2026 performance and 2027 budget requirements.
During the meeting, the President emphasised that resumed projects must be completed within their scheduled timeframes to ensure the public receives an efficient and dependable transport network. Officials were specifically directed to base rural road development decisions on urgent public needs highlighted during District Coordinating Committee meetings. The discussion covered the Rs. 402 billion allocated to the ministry in the 2026 Budget, supplemented by additional funds for Ditwah disaster response efforts.
Several major infrastructure projects were reviewed, including various sections of the Central Expressway, the proposed Ruwanpura Expressway, and the Port Access Road. Officials reported that approximately 130 A- and B-class roads require reconstruction after going more than 15 years without repairs, though standard maintenance intervals call for work every 10 years. The government also plans to develop a National Traffic Database Project into an integrated smart traffic management system incorporating smart signals and camera systems.
The meeting discussed transferring responsibility for smaller road development to District Secretaries as part of a systematic implementation approach. Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake and multiple deputy ministers and senior officials attended the discussion, which also addressed compensation challenges related to expressway construction and access issues within the expanding expressway network.
