New facilities of Southern Expressway’s Kottawa Interchange in operation from today

The toll plaza and toll offices of the Kottawa Interchange which will be shared by both the Southern Expressway and Outer Circular Expressway to Colombo will commence operations today. The new toll plaza in Kottawa with five entry lanes and seven exit lanes has a higher capacity than the temporary toll plaza which was in operation until now.

According to traffic volume data on the Southern Expressway since its inauguration in November 2011, the highest share of vehicle movement and toll collection (about 38%) is from the Kottawa Interchange. This is expected to increase further with the completion of the first section of the Outer Circular Expressway in 2013.

The construction of the Kottawa Interchange and tolling facilities was financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its official development assistance loans for Southern Expressway and Outer Circular Expressway.

President Mahinda Rajapakse, Nobuhito Hobo, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, and other distinguished guests will commission the Kottawa Interchange’s facilities today, and inaugurate the service area at Welipenna, along the Expressway as well.

At the same occasion, JICA will hand over 20,000 ‘Reflective Warning Triangles’ for distribution free of charge to the users of the Southern Expressway. The warning triangles are used to give advance warning to other drivers in case of breakdown or other emergency situation, especially in the night time.

“JICA will continue to partner with the Road Development Authority and Ministry of Highways to enhance safety and improve service quality for Expressway users,” stated Harumi Ao, Chief Representative of JICA in Sri Lanka. Together with the Government of Sri Lanka, the 95km long Kottawa-Pinnaduwa section of the Southern Expressway was co-financed by JICA and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and implemented by the Road Development Authority of the Ministry of Ports and Highways. JICA provided concessionary loans to the value of JPY 36,269 million (approximately Rs. 50 billion) for construction of 66km of the four-lane expressway.  Operation and maintenance facilities for the entire expressway including toll plazas, toll and traffic management offices, vehicles and equipment were also included in the JICA financing package. To support the safe and effective operation of the expressway, JICA has provided technical assistance on a grant basis, in terms of technology transfer by Japanese experts, training for expressway management staff in Sri Lanka and Japan, and job-training of over 300 toll collection and traffic management staff. A new grant project to set up ‘Intelligent Transport System’ (ITS) facilities on the Southern Expressway to provide advance traffic and road condition information to expressway users is currently in discussion between JICA and Government authorities. JICA is also financing two sections of the Outer Circular Highway of Colombo which links the Southern Expressway to the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway.



Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is the executing agency of Japan’s Bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA). JICA, the world biggest bilateral aid agency, works in over 150 countries and regions. In accordance with its vision of ‘Inclusive and Dynamic Development’, JICA supports the resolution of development issues in developing countries.

In Sri Lanka, Japan has been providing financial and technical assistance since 1954 and is one of the largest donors to the country. On behalf of the people and the Government of Japan, JICA contributes to improve the lives of people in Sri Lanka.