"An Overview of Southern Expressway in Sri Lanka "
Written By:- Kapilan.V.(B.A Hons.)
Yogesh .A.(Reading for B.A)
Introduction to Southern Express way.
The end of the civil war heralded the dawn of a new era in Sri Lanka. An era of peace, prosperity and rapid development. Extensive reconstruction and development efforts have since begun in all sectors of the country. An efficient set of transport net work is primary to meet up with the challenges of the future developments of any country. Sri Lanka’s transport net work was primarily developed during the Colonial period for their business and administrative purposes, mainly to connect the towns and goods collection centers with the administrative capital of Colombo.
This Article includes an analysis of ‘Southern expressway Project’ which provides opportunities to connect suburbs and distant communities, make abilities to provide emergency services, ease traffic in urban centers and bring solutions for planning issues such as urban agglomerations. At the same time, the high initial expenditure and long payback periods; possible negative impacts on the natural environment and suburban landscape; social issues, expropriations, noise, air and light pollution; issues with road safety are significant among the issues that are associated with expressway.
I hope that, this Essay will be used who have interested to know about Southern expressway project in Sri Lanka, thus making it a useful resource for all interested in impacts related to Expressway development program.
Sri Lanka’s first fee-levying highway from Kottawa to Galle is part of an ambitious development project. More than two years after the first expressway experience of Sri Lanka with the opening of the Southern Highway in November 2011, people are now aware of the importance of having high mobility road network in the country to connect not only the Southern part of the country with the capital Colombo but also the rest of the country.
An efficient set of transport net work is primary to meet up with the challenges of the future developments of any country. Sri Lanka’s transport net work was primarily developed during the Colonial period for their business and administrative purposes, mainly to connect the towns and goods collection centres with the administrative capital of Colombo. The current road network of Sri Lanka which has a total length of 91,907 Km includes motorways, highways, main or national roads, secondary or regional roads, urban roads and rural roads (Source: Glossary of Transport Statistics, 2003).
Southern Expressway is the first expressway in Sri Lanka and it is an important link of the proposed expressway network. It travers from Kottawa to Matara (126 km) and the construction of the section from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa (Galle) has been completed as a dual Expressway with 4-lane facility. Galle Port access road has been built to connect Galle city to Pinnaduwa interchange.
The objective of a good transportation system is to provide an efficient, quick and safe transportation to its users. The road sector is the backbone of the transport sector in the country. Basic or the foundation of the development of the economy of a country depends on the highway network system.But the expressway network system for a particular country differs from each other, due to different economic, social and geometrical issues of a given country. To reach good economy growth there must be a good expressway network system in a country. Today Sri Lanka also building good Expressway systems as long term projects. All these projects directly affect for an economy development in Sri Lanka.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) are the main funding agencies for this project. The section from Kottawa to Kurundugahahetekma (65km) was constructed under the financial assistance of JBIC and the section from Kurundugahahetekma to Pinnaduwa (Galle), 29.3km was constructed under the financial assistance of ADB. The section from Pinnaduwa (Galle) to Godagama which is about 35km has been agreed to be financed by the Export and Import Bank of China.
The planning of the Southern Expressway project goes back to 1990s and during the recent past, the project was received a high priority and got accelerated tocomplete its first phase from Kottawa to Matara. This is one of the largest investments that the Sri Lankan government has undertaken to boost the country’s development. The cost of the entire project has been estimated as 100 billion Sri Lankan Rupees which includes the acquisition cost of around 2000 half of land, environmental mitigation and management measures, addressing social issues of affected 5600 households (Source: Southern Expressway Report, RDA), highway and other road construction work including overhead passes, Toll Gates, offices and infrastructure facilities. Effective transport leads to improved social development and economic growth while improved mobility has a major positive impact on the poverty. It is seen that many remote hamlets in the southern interiors along the Southern Expressway are now being transformed into significant sub-urban service centres.
2.Planning, design and construction.
The Southern Transport Development Project is the first access controlled expressway constructed in Sri Lanka. It is a 125.57 km long dual carriageway Expressway between Colombo and Matara and financed through foreign and domestic funds. The expressway between Kottawa and Kurundugahahetekma is 66.5km long and this section is divided into two parts: The JBIC -funded section, 35 Km long Package 1 is from Kottawa to Dodangoda and the Package 2 extends 31.675 Km from Dodangoda to Kurundugahahetekma. From Kurundugahahetekma to Pinnaduwa is mainly funded through ADB. The section from there to Godagama in Matara is to be mainly funded through Chinese EXIM Bank and considered as the second phase yet to be completed.
The Project is Environmental Impact, monitoring and mitigation is carried out in accordance with the Environmental Action Plan prepared based on the Environmental Management Plan. Either sides of the highway falls within the UDA development regulation as a restricted development zone extending from the outer edge of the 10 metre wide buffer zone up to a 500 metre setback from the centre of the expressway for controlling developments. One of the ideas that could have been deliberated for this project is maintaining of a thick green belt with trees along its right of way which would be an effective solution for many environmental and social issues as effectively done in highways in some other countries. The entire project from Kottawa to Matara consists of 11 interchanges and the first construction phase of package I and II, includes eight interchanges located at Kottawa, Kahathuduwa, Galenigama, Dodangoda, Welipenna, Kurundugahahetekma, Nayapamula and Pinnaduwa. Except Kottawa, all other interchanges are already completed with entry and exit controls. The second phase consists of Imaduwa, Weligama and Godagamawhich is to be completed in due course. Though certain highway standards such as emergency lane and shoulder widths and distance from the drive lane to the road centre separator are scaled down, mainly to cut down the cost of the project, the Southern Expressway construction generally follows most of the key features seen in other modern international highways.
The consultancy service and the road construction works were mainly coordinated through foreign expertise. The section from Kurundugahahetekma to Matara (Godagama) was contracted to Kumagai Gumi of Japan. Package I section was contracted to China Harbour Engineering Company while Taisei Corporation of Japan handled package II. The supervision consultants are Pacific Consultant International and Oriental Consultants Pvt. Ltd. with Resources Development Consultant.
Design of toll Gates.
Whilst road design and construction is mainly from foreign expertise, all buildings and structures related to entry and exit at all interchanges were designed, detailed and supervised by the local expertise and constructed by Sri Lankan builders. The University of Moratuwa offers the expertise services on all architectural and engineering aspects of the Toll Gates, Gate Office buildings, Traffic Operation Centre, power houses and other facilities of this project. The ongoing construction of Kottawa Toll gate has a total of 13 entry and exit gates. The architectural concept and the details of the buildings are developed to create a unique identity which blends with the typical characteristics of a highway complying with international highway project standards. The architectural concept of Toll Gates is characterised with reminiscent of the Sri Lankan traditional entrance gates that consist of series of columns and beams. The concept involves a great deal of emphasis on materiality. The entire Toll Gate structure constructed with reinforced concrete with exposed fare-faced concrete finish, gives more of a sculptural look. This project is one of the scarce situations where large surface areas of fare-faced concrete finish are used for buildings in Sri Lanka.
The flat roofs of the gates are colourfully landscaped with Boganvilla plants which are visible from the gate premises as well as from the highway. Though the original toll gate design includes special artistic symbols of the flag of each province on the gate fascia, with an initiative of symbolic representation of the people of different provinces, its implementation is yet to be consented by the Government authorities. In contrast to the fact that most of contemporary buildings in our country today seem to be missing the country's local architectural identity, possibly as a result of the effects of globalisation, the designs of the buildings of this project are mainly developed with the idea of cultural embedding.
Yet the use of contemporary building materials available in the market considering the durability of the structures is significant while the minimization of the maintenance cost of the buildings is considered as a key design criteria. One of the other design decisions of this project is to maintain the exposed natural concrete textures on all concrete elements such as road curbs and barriers following international practice standards.
3.Impacts of the Project (southern Express Way).
There are many positive and negative impacts can be identified about the southern express way development programme.When we talk about impacts of this project, many factors are playing as positve and negative roles .Those factors are based on under the Socio-Economic process in the project.We can analysis those features one by one follwing sub topics.
3.1A special feature of the expressway is a fence that runs on both sides, over 250 km in length. One of the main challenges faced in the construction of the expressway was the improvement of soft ground in the area to hold an average four to five metre embankment. The expressway was designed to ensure that commuters experienced a smooth, comfortable ride. Hence, measures were taken to replace the soft ground with good ground. It was only on completion of such measures that the main construction could take place. Another challenge faced was the use of a metal structure also known as a generic solid steel structure.
This was the first time such solid steel structures were introduced in the area. Therefore it was imperative that engineers had a good understanding of the theory and thorough knowledge on the construction and maintenance of such structures. Many techniques, employed for the first time in Sri Lanka, were utilised to stabilise slopes in the area that hindered construction. This highlights the expertise of engineers and the extensive technological knowledge gained from this project. Connecting the Nation's capital to the South, the expressway will reduce travel time to approximately one and a half hours. This is beneficial not only to Sri Lankans but to tourists visiting the country as it permits more time to relax, tour or visit places of interest. With a view to expand the network and further develop the expressway, the Government plans to extend the roadway from Matara to Hambantota. On the northern end, construction of the outer circular highway connecting Kottawa to Kerawalapitiya has already commenced. This project will be implemented in three stages beginning from Kottawa to Kaduwela, Kaduwela to Kadawatha and finally, Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya, with plans to link the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway. The Southern Expressway will prove to be a valuable asset not only to the public but also to the economic development of the nation. With this marvel, Sri Lanka, has emerged to demonstrate its strength and capability to overcome challenges, and construct modern, hi-tech infrastructure.
3.2Economic feasibility of the Southern Express way.
The inaugural opening of the Southern Expressway is a significant landmark in the sustainable development of this country and accelerated “take-off” of the economy towards “drive to maturity” as envisaged in Rostow’s Model. In an accelerated economic development process, time saving is a financial gain which can be quantitatively measured. Therefore when travel time by motor vehicle from Colombo to Matara is reduced from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours, the time saved for a businessman is a substantial financial gain. Therefore the speedier and easier accessibility will promote development in proximity to interchanges and in areas linked to interchanges of the Southern Highway. Many of us reap the benefits of large-scale infrastructure development projects, without really thinking about or understanding the sacrifices that have been made by the people who once lived and worked on the land that was acquired, and were displaced “for the greater good”.‘Right of Way’ attempts to address this lacuna. It tells us about the thinking and efforts that were made by the government authorities, the lending agencies and others who were involved, to address the many concerns of the displaced, as well as the successes and failures of those efforts. Being the first limited access highway project in Sri Lanka, the highway authorities have limited experience in the design, construction management and implementation of limited access highway projects. Therefore, particularly the sections implemented with the funding assistance of ADB and JICA, the original cost estimates have escalated from Rs. 8,700,000,000 to Rs. 24,100,000,000 and from Rs.9,585,869,449 to Rs.20,000,000,000 respectively. Some of the additional costs have to be incurred in order to replace the collapsed or settled Metal structures and for Pile Cap rectification etc. The total project cost (revised) inclusive of land acquisition amounted to Rs. 86,832,179,556 which had been met from the funding of the Govt. of Sri Lanka, ADB, JICA, and other donor agencies. It also has to be mentioned in this connection, that some of the locations which have been identified for interchanges are basically very rural areas consisting of jungles or rubber estates which have no urban characteristics. Availability of unencumbered land may be the main criteria that has been applied for the selection of such locations, due to the urgency for the commencement of the project. For example Lewwanduwa Interchange is located in a flood-prone area. Galanigama interchange is located in a paddy field. In order to develop such areas for urban activities, it will need heavy investment, requiring substantial State participation in order to overcome the existing physical constraints to create satisfactory conditions for the private sector get interested. The Government envisages meeting the routine maintenance and management cost of the Highway by the levy of following tolls on all vehicles entering the highway from different inter-changes located from Kottawa to Godagama:
1.Light vehicles:- Eg. cars, vans and jeeps Rs.400 per trip
2.Heavy vehicles Eg:buses,and,lorries-Rs.700,pertrip Heavy vehicles with 10 wheels Rs.1,500 per trip Heavy vehicles with over 10 wheels Rs.2,000 per trip.
These charges need to be periodically reviewed having taken the actual maintenance and operational cost into consideration. Real Estate Development in Proximity to Highway Inter-Changes The Government through the UDA has already taken steps to acquire one and half kilo meters (1 ½ km) of land located on either side of the highway for real estate development according to a well conceived development plan as a means of cost recovery and also to bring about a functionally sound and aesthetically and environmentally pleasant area development. However, it has to be mentioned that the full cost recovery of a project of this magnitude is a highly far-fetched task. The long term economic gains through land development and indirect benefits that would be accrued to the community at large by this project will be examined in detail subsequently. Southern Highway and the Long-term Development Perspectives for the Western Region Accessibility is a crucial factor which contributes to sustainable regional development of a country. It has to be mentioned that still most parts of Sri Lanka’s hinterland areas including South-Western Province, are not adequately accessible due to undeveloped road network. In many rural areas, there are only foot paths and cart tracks, due to hilly terrain and areas interspersed with water bodies, wet lands and paddy fields. The development has not penetrated into the hinterland area due to these factors. Accordingly, particularly in the Western Province, all economic and social activities are confined to the coastal belt which is served by the Colombo- Galle- Matara Road, where most of the urban centers are concentrated. This linear or ribbon form of development has many disadvantages in terms of traffic congestion and high rates of accidents. Furthermore, the linear form of urban development is most inefficient and uneconomical in terms of the provision of infrastructure services and parking facilities. The Southern limited Access Highway is the first major attempt to bring about an integrated development to the land locked hinterland areas of the Western Province by promoting a set of new growth centers and satellite towns linked to existing regional centers.
In this connection, together with the construction of this highway, a comprehensive study, a Land Use Plan and an integrated set of projects that can be implemented within the areas which come within the impact of this Highway Project have been formulated. (ADB funded –(TA 7065 SRI) Integrated Area Development Plan – Southern Highway Corridor). As this total project is an outcome of “MahindaChinthana”, the country is hopeful that the total project will be successfully implemented which will significantly contribute to Sri Lanka’s “Take Off” of the economy. One hopes that others involved in the development process in Sri Lanka, both policy and decision-makers, executing and monitoring agencies, will have the same courage and conviction to present their experiences in the same balanced manner as this very useful publication does, so that we can all learn lessons and gain insight from past experience.
3.3 The perspective of Civil Society in State.
Successive governments have stated that the expressway will serve asa catalyst for economic growth that will in turn bring work opportunities for the poor. Expected to cut travel time by more than half, it was welcomed by both the wider public and big business -mostly from the manufacturing and tourism sectors. It was also regarded positively by people and agencies who saw an expressway as an obligatory indicator of a country’s development. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the local communities, who would feel the largest impact, and have the least to gain, expressed both worry and fear.They did not want to lose their homes and lands, and face the disruptions to their lifestyles from such a large construction project. Neither could they see sufficient value from this road, which could justify such loss, as they already had access to the parallel coastal Galle Road.
The expressway cuts through land with a population density of 940 per square kilometre much higher than the national average of 351. A quarter of the inhabitants, who live mainly in semi-urban and rural settlements, are considered to be living below the official poverty line.Most of the land, which is ecologically diverse and geologically varied,is cultivated. Agriculture is the main economic activity for many of thepeople in this area. People have been growing paddy in the valleys and cash crops like tea, cinnamon and rubber on the higher areas. Theroad also traverses some forest areas, wetlands and the catchments of five rivers, including the Kalu Ganga, Bentota Ganga and Gin Ganga
These people were by and large willing contributors to the greater good but their contribution has not been publicly acknowledged. Despite discomfort to themselves, they recognised the role that the expressway was supposed to play in the country’s development and bought into the idea that it will be a catalyst for economic growth in the South that will in turn bring work opportunities for the poor. For their part, the Road Development Authority (RDA), the implementing agency, also made some effort to understand the stress of disruption and involuntary displacement, and working within the ADB’s safeguard strategies, and Sri Lanka’s own National Involuntary Resettlement Policy, aimed to compensate and minimise the negative impacts. The final trace deliberately avoided highly populated areas though at considerable cost to the environment and to agriculture.
The innovative institution of the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Committees (LARC) at a local level helped bring about fairer compensation calculations for lost homes, agricultural land and business enterprises and on average doubled the legal compensation entitlement paid under the Land Acquisition Act No 9 of 1950, the existing state instrument for acquiring land for public purposes. Not everything went completely smoothly however. In 2001 a group of affected people challenged the road alignment plan and this went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the rights of the people affected by the changed trace had been violated under the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Some of the affected people took their case to the ADB’s watchdog mechanism, the Compliance Review Panel. These are some of the non-technical reasons for delaying the completion of the project which was originally scheduled for opening in 2005.The Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) worked for four years as independent external monitors of the resettlement from the Southern Transport Development Project, and a book that documents some of CEPA’s findings on the resettlement process and its impact, Right of Way, will be out in early 2012, with support from the Asian Development Bank and the Road Development Authority. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the local communities, who would feel the largest impact, and have the least to gain, expressed both worry and fear.They did not want to lose their homes and lands, and face the disruptions to their lifestyles from such a large construction project.so We can see what are the main negative impacts are effected people and their livelihoods regarding the project during construction period and after the development through the following features.
3.3.1 People lost their Homes.
The perspective of civil society in state, a democratic is the lack of acknowledgement of the contribution made to the construction of the Expressway by an estimated 1338 families who were displaced by its construction and others who, though not physically displaced, lost their agricultural land where they cultivated paddy, tea, rubber or cinnamon or their commercial properties (around 4000 families). There were also, about 550 households that were indirectly affected, and these included workers on the land and in the enterprises that had to close down or relocate, and others who had to manage the discomforts of construction rock blasting, dust, unexpected flooding, and loss of common amenities etc.
Families who lost their homes to the highway were given two options. to relocate in resettlement sites or to places of their choice. In a departure from the LAA, (Land Acquisition Act) households without documented titles to their lands and those who did not own the land they occupied were also awarded compensation, receiving alternative plots in resettlement sites. This ‘Land for Land’ principle of non-monetary compensation was particularly useful for poorer households with little capacity and resources to relocate. Particularly significant of the RIP is its treatment of landless persons a clear sign of its commitment to equity. Households that held titledeeds to their homes and those who did not were both eligible for a house plot in a resettlement site.
A titleholder was entitled to a 20 perch plot, the price of which was deducted from the total compensation. The non-titleholders were entitled to a 10 perch block, which, in the case of extremely vulnerable households, was given free. House owners were entitled to cash compensation at the full replacement cost for material and labour without deduction for depreciation or materials that could be re-used. Compensation values.
for loss of house lots was arrived at by considering the ownership type, size of the lot acquired, proximity to a developed area, and the quality of the house. All households displaced by the road were entitled to a range of allowances and other payments such as a shifting allowance
of Rs.1,500, an incentive payment of 25% of the compensation for vacating by the stipulated date, and a temporary rent allowance.
People who relocated outside the resettlement sites were paid an additional self-relocation allowance as well as allowances to obtain utilities. Households displaced from rented accommodation were entitled only to a temporary rent allowance and the shifting allowance. However, in practice, they too have been considered eligible for all the other displacement allowances titleholders are entitled to, like those for electricity and water connections and self-relocation. Some of them were even able to buy a plot of land by combining all their allowances.
The final outcomes came after a traumatic period of disruption, when most displaced families had to live in unsatisfactory, temporary accommodation and experienced considerable anxiety. It was particularly bad for families with young children or older people needing care, and for families going through critical life-cycle events. Older children were particularly traumatised and there are several stories of young people dropping out of school and not being able to sit for public examinations. The main ‘losers’ from the displacement and resettlement were largely the rural middle class who had left behind either newly built houses or ancestral homes that had been in the family for generations. Older people also found relocation difficult. In many of the families, elderly parents lived with their children either in their own houses or in their children’s homes. Resettlement often resulted in a rearrangement of these living arrangements, with the traditional extended families breaking into multiple nuclear units.
3.3.2New locations and new homes
About 14% of the lots acquired for the road’s right of way containedhouses and the loss of house plots and houses was compensated forby both cash and replacement land. About 60% of the displaced householders opted to move into other plots they owned or to buy anew plot. The project also provided 32 resettlement sites, which wasthe preferred choice for relocation of the balance 40% of displaced householders, who did not have a viable alternative or could not afford to purchase land. Resettlement sites were created as the RIP included an entitlement of providing developed land as an option for displaced households.
The RDA negotiated with the land owners (either State or private) to acquire large extents of land, which helped overcome the difficulties associated with the high cost and limited availability of land for purchase by people individually. This also meant that communities were able to resettle together in close proximity to their original location, minimising social disruption. According to the project plan, resettlement sites were to beselected in consultation with the community and located less than 1 km from the affected village, less than 1 km from the main highway and schools, and less than 6 km from a town and medical facility. The site also had to be developed with water supply, electricity, and internal roads and drainage. A high degree of consultation occurred in choosing the resettlement sites although the final decision may not have always been reached through consensus. In certain cases, for example in the St Edward’s site, the householders had a stronger say in the final
decision, while in others such as the Diyagama site, it was mainly the RDA’s decision. The requirements as set out by the RIP, and people’s choice that they remain as close as possible to their original homes and villages, resulted in 40% of the resettlement sites being within the 200m radius of the highway that was being constructed.
People in resettlement sites were also unhappy about delays in the provision of basic infrastructure; internal roads, drainage, water and electricity. Another grievance was about delays in handing over deeds legitimising the ownership of land bought by the households in resettlement sites.
3.3.3 Declining paddy cultivation and given new places.
Losing paddy land was particularly difficult for households, and this loss was compounded by the low compensation received for the land acquired by the project and the environmental impacts of roadbuilding on the remaining paddy fields, which included muddied fields, reduced water supply, and restricted access. Compensation rates for paddy lands have generally been lower thanfor other types of agricultural lands. According to officers of the Valuation Department, paddy lands were generally valued at the market price, in the range of Rs. 750 to Rs. 1,250 per perch. This low valuation was because paddy brings lower profits in the wet zone and, unlike other lands, paddy fields are bonded with regulations; they cannot be filled or used for other activities. Few people wanted to sell their paddy fields and those who lost their fields found it difficult to replace them. While economic analysis focusing on productivity and market valuation gives a low value to paddy farming in the wet zone, farmers have a different perspective on it.
The consumption of rice from their own paddy fields is highly valued by these households, partly from a food security perspective and partly from a lifestyle perspective. Because most of these small-scale farmers use traditional cultivation methods with minimal chemical inputs, they value the quality of their own rice and were self-sufficient in it. Only the surplus was sold. Losing their paddy cultivation meant that instead of having a major part of their food consumption needs met through their own cultivation they had to bear the additional cost of buying rice for food Now they have to buy rice by paying money. If they have their own rice they could live by eating rice with coconut sambol. But, now they don’t have that opportunity. their status has gone down further and the quality of their lives has got worse. Thus, the fate that befell paddy cultivation had other ramifications as well. Joint production systems were disrupted and informal social networks on which people were strongly dependent have broken down. People also started turning to other forms of crops and cultivation.
3.3.4 Agicultural livelihoods
Two key factors have affected the recovery of agricultural livelihoods the intensity of the loss, and the continued disruption to agricultural activities due to on-going construction. In the case of households that lost cash crops like cinnamon, tea and rubber, those who lost large land holdings or small percentages of land were better able to recover than those who had smallholdings and lost most of it. Those with large holdings, irrespective of the proportion lost, were able to absorb the risk either by increasing the productivity of the remaining land or by replacing land with the compensation received.
Households with large holdings of cash crop cultivated lands still available to them are showing an increased household income due to increases in market prices for cash crops, particularly rubber and tea. The rise in prices at the time has supported the recovery process for households that have succeeded in re-cultivating land or had sufficient un-acquired land to make up for lost household income. It has also acted as a motivator for households that were taking their time to restart cultivation. Most tea and rubber growers felt the highway would facilitate greater access to markets, especially if a complementary road network was developed. After a difficult initial period, over time those who lost cash crops are showing a positive trend in re-establishing their cultivations. However the time period for recovery has extended over 3-4 years.
Households which are on a downward income trend are mainly those who had lost their entire income from cash crops, either directly due to land acquisition, or indirectly because they are unable to cultivate the remaining land, and those who no longer have access to the land they cultivated. The inability to replace the land and lack of finances to re-invest in cultivation activities, have also affected the ability of some households to re-establish their cultivation activities to previous levels.
Although the project plan states that households severely affected by the loss of agricultural land would be provided a range of non-monetary assistance - such as help to increase production on remaining land, for example, by introducing more productive crops, as well as agricultural extension assistance from the Department of Agriculture, Tea Smallholding Authority, and Agrarian Services Department, most government officials at the local level had little knowledge of such entitlements. Moreover, large numbers of households lost the income they gained from home gardening, which increased pressure to find outside work. They also felt that the current land available for home gardening was smaller and less fertile when compared to the land they lost, and additionally that they did not have enough water for the plants. Under the Income Restoration Programme (IRP), 348 households, mainly living in resettlement sites, had received assistance in the form of training in the use of bio fertilizer and techniques for upgrading soil fertility. Under this home gardening component of the IRP, families received new plant types for home gardens. Others who were qualified to join the programme if they so wished, included self relocated households and households who lost agricultural land. The vast majority of families, who took part in the programme, over 83% of them, gained good harvests from the plant seedlings, used mostly for household consumption but also to make some additional money.
The home gardening programme appears to have contributed to the greening of the resettlement sites most of the sites were newly cleared, bare land when the families first settled. While many families felt that the transformation was due to their own efforts, others do acknowledge the contribution of RDA’s home gardening programme. The hands-on involvement of the RDA, particularly the regular visits to check on progress during the project implementation period, was appreciated by the people. The involvement of housing societies to generate participation, and the Provincial Departments of Agriculture to provide expert inputs and continuity, were noted as two key positive features. The hands-on involvement of the RDA, particularly the regular visits to check on progress during the project implementation period, was appreciated by the people. The involvement of housing societies to generate participation, and the Provincial Departments of Agriculture to provide expert inputs and continuity, were noted as two key positive features.
3.3.5 Businesses and Set up a new way.
The innovative institution of the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Committees (LARC) at a local level helped bring about fairer compensation calculations for lost homes, agricultural land and business enterprises and on average doubled the legal compensation entitlement paid under the Land Acquisition Act No 9 of 1950, the existing state instrument for acquiring land for public purposes. Many of the enterprises that were lost or disrupted were small, informal businesses such as small groceries and hardware shops or home-based enterprises, many carried out by women.
All relocated enterprises, both registered formal enterprises and informal enterprises, were eligible for compensation under the project implementation plan. They included grocery stores, hardware shops, bakeries, rice and oil mills, brick and fiber manufacturing workshops and automobile service centres. They were entitled to the same package of allowances as relocating households. Registered businesses affected by relocation were entitled to compensation equal to three years’ future income under the LAA. Within the category of unregistered businesses, small informal businesses were paid up to Rs. 90,000 for the loss of business income calculated at Rs.15,000 per month for six months. Unregistered businesses on a larger scale were paid a loss of business income allowance, which depended on the valuation of the business, taking into consideration the nature of the business and the loss incurred due to the acquisition. People’s businesses too were affected by the construction work. The environment of uncertainty and change in the vicinity of the construction site has had an adverse impact on the ability of small and medium scale enterprises to re-start, carry on, or develop their businesses. However, some households were able to mitigate the impact of construction on livelihoods by gaining employment at the construction sites.
3.3.6 Sustainable Drainage System.
The drainage system design contributes an imperative role in terms of sustainability of an expressway for the coexistence with its environment. The concurrence with existing drainage flow with crossing and aligning the newly introduced structure need to be assessed against the verified findings, obtained by different studies and quantified subsequent changes that occured on drainage regimes. The ultimate object of an effective drainage system for an expressway is the substantial environmental acceptance of the structure during the project.
The environment also needs to be guarded from severe erosion at embankments and flow outlets, possible siltation down stream, instability of cut slopes, flood potentiality and disturbance to minor waterways/irrigation systems which may be caused due to the presence of the expressway. Thus, the strategy and means of maintaining a balance between the environment and the introduced expressway need great attention for adequate sustainability within the project.
Identification and quantification of the existing drainage system shall be included for a major highway project under different project activities like feasibility studies, special drainage studies or Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) during the project appraisal stage or pre-contract stage. The construction begins after a considerable lapse of time, thus changes on the environment shall be re-assessed. As examples; an unutilised region might become vegetated land due to rising of market prices of agrarian products or growth of a new flood detention area due to sediment blocking of close-by mandarin river. This paper focuses on the problems raised and appropriate solutions given in the Southern Expressway project, Sri Lanka for a sustainable drainage system, which secure the expressway as well as the environment; both considered as national assets.Three types of drainage elements were identified for the local drainage network on expressways those are Intake Structures, Out flow Structures, Intermediate Structures.Intake Structures can be defined These were assigned for collecting the surface runoff from the surrounding areas and transforming to directional flow like Drop Inlets, Toe Drains, Road side Drains, etc,. Out flow Structures were assigned for discharging surface runoff to the surrounding areas and transforming directional flow into the surface runoff like Transitions, End Sections, Chutes, Silting Basins, etc. Intermediate Structures These were assigned for moving the directional flow. All cross drainage structures like river bridges, Reinforced Box/Pipe Culverts are examples of this category.
The review on drainage designs was done based on topographic detail, extracted from the site with uni-approach on the local drainage network with each element’s task as an integrated contribution to the entire system. Such overview had been a compulsory exercise for every Interchange area, where several embankments are formed thereby closed drainage pockets are created due to presence of entry/ exit ramps. As per the example, all types of drainage elements need to be integrated so as to insure the entire system executes properly to be catered for intake as well as outflow end structures, thus formal outlets such as transitions need to be minimized and headwall or wing wall type end detail had been promoted.
The invert levels of underpass structures at flood plain need to be kept well over the flood level; forecasted with the consideration of additional inundation caused by the dam effect of the expressway. In the meantime the opening of drainage structures shall be kept well below the invert level of underpass structures to facilitate the free motorable condition during the times of flood. This situation is illustrated in the case study along the flood plain at up-stream of Polwathumodara River where some metallic underpass structures had to be changed for RC underpasses due to unavoidable surrounding backfill requirement declared by the metallic underpass structures.
4.Traffic system of the Express way.
There is very little traffic on the road. And yet, the toll gates in Galle and Kottawa (the Colombo side entrance) struggle to deal with traffic. There is no automated toll system or lane, there are too few lanes at the toll booths, the ticketing is manually conducted and exiting the expressway takes time on account of the payment. These are bottlenecks, and will grow worse over time as traffic flows also increase. Doesn’t seem to be room for expansion of existing tollgates, but we hope there are some plans for enhancing and increasing them at every entry and exit point. Road conditions from Kottawa to Nugegoda vary widely. The famous ‘debichchiya‘ on High Level Road remains a bottleneck, and through the road has been considerably widened on both sides, the Delkanda Junction is also a major bottleneck. The junction is currently under construction, adding to the delays.
Padestrians will be strictly prohibited from entering the highway, while those who do so will be fined Rs. 5,000. In case of breakdown of vehicles, a police patrol will be available to assist the unfortunate motorists. Six ambulances, three fire brigade engines and nine police cars and motorcycles have been assigned to the highway. The ambulances have been fitted with modern emergency equipment to assist those in need. The road has been lined with CC cameras to monitor traffic. The entry or exit points are at the interchanges at Pinnaduwa, Kottawa and Gelanigama, and the emergency number to call is 1969 for prompt assistance. The maximum one-way toll from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa will be Rs. 2,000, while the minimum will be Rs.400, the rate changing depending on the entry and exit points to the highway.
No billboards will be allowed on the highway, as they would distract drivers which could lead to accidents. Litter thrown from moving vehicles too will be strictly monitored and offenders fined. The motorists will be required to travel with their shutters closed at all times, while the seat belt rule too will be strictly enforced. In case a vehicle stalls on the road, motorists are advised to switch on their hazard lights and call the emergency number, following which a breakdown vehicle patrolling the road 24-hours, will arrive promptly. A 1.7 metre lane has been designated on the side of the road for motorists to pull over in case of an emergency. All road signs have been clearly displayed overhead in all three languages for the convenience of motorists. Overtaking is to be from the right hand side, while the maximum speed on the highway is 100 km/hr. Those exceeding the speed limit will be charged for violation. One filling station is situated along the highway, which is also a place for motorists to take a break. It consists of a few shops and toilet facilities.
There are two main sections under Traffic Controlling.
Call center and CCTV inspection section
Traffic and Patrolling Unit
In addition to these main sections Expressway Police and Fire & Rescue Unit (Police - STF) are there to coordinate with the Traffic controlling section.
Call Center and CCTV Inspection section
Call Center and CCTV Inspection section mainly for the support of the expressway users. The Emergency call number is 1969. The call center operators are on alert in 24 hours about the emergency calls from the expressway users. So in case of any emergency on the expressway at any time, users can contact us. They are cooperating with the Traffic and Patrolling unit and Fire and Rescue unit to solve the user problems and prevent primary or secondary traffic accidents.CCTV inspection section is monitoring the entire expressway in 24 hours by using the CCTV cameras placed on the expressway. If there was any incident on the expressway, the CCTV inspection crew is providing the necessary videos to the authorized personnel.
Traffic and Patrolling Unit
The tasks of the Expressway Traffic and Patrolling Unit are to maintain the Expressways at the optimum condition to ensure traffic safety and smooth traffic flow. Non-recurring incidents such as accidents, landslides, floods or traffic congestion to threaten the optimum condition of the Expressway must be dealt with by promptly restoring the Expressway to a desirable state. Patrolling is the most important activity in the expressway by the Traffic and Patrolling Unit. This is done by using patrol cars travelling along the expressway. During patrol the fallen objects are being removed, vehicles stuck on the expressway are being dragged immediately in order to prevent traffic accidents on the expressway.
In case of any accidents on the expressway, the patrolling units assist with the traffic police, fire brigade or paramedics in rescue work. They also implement traffic control at the accident site preventing secondary accident and ensure that other vehicles move safely passing the accident site. Traffic control during maintenance and repairs on the expressway is done by this unit. When carrying out the tasks like the pavement repairs, trimming of grass and replacement of damaged things by accidents, etc the appropriate traffic control measures are being carried out by this unit. Also they are responsible for traffic control in the harmful weather conditions.
Maintenance Section
Maintenance section is there to carry out all types of the maintenance operations related with the expressway. For examples, repairing damaged guard rails, cutting grass on both borders of the road, maintaining all the properties on the expressway. This section is responsible for the clearness of the expressway and the enclosed areas. They check the unseen sections and damages on the way and repair them properly. They are also responsible for maintaining gutters, culverts, etc., on the road sides. If they are in bad condition and need repairs the maintenance section must take the immediate actions to repair them in order to keep the expressway a safe place for users.
Mechanical Section
The main purpose of this section is to check the condition of the vehicles and mechanical equipments which are under EOM&M division. Almost all the resources of EOM&M division are under mechanical section. All the vehicles working on the expressway, all the A/C machines and other machines belong to the mechanical section. They are responsible for the maintenance of all those vehicles and the machines.
Electrical and Electronic Section
Electronic and Electrical section is there to deal with the products powered by or producing electricity. They are checking the condition of that kind of products, inspecting there conditions and do essential repairing. They are the people who deal with the urgent situations occurring because of the power failures or emergency power interruptions in order to keep the smoothness of expressway operations.
IT Section
IT section attend to requirement identification, design, implementation and maintenance of computer and network based systems (User Fee Collection System, Content Management System, Bridge Information Management System, Asset Management System, etc.. ) associated with the operation of the expressway. And they are responsible for the network and data security of the User Fee Collection System. This section is also responsible for the CCTV monitoring system and Call Center. Besides Risk analysis, failure recovery events management in the data system, research and development of new network and information systems for the operation are carrying out by the IT Section. IT staff abide to stand-by in any case of emergency related to information and network based systems.
Conclusion.
Road network development plays a vital role in national development. Southern Expressway will be the first link of the Expressway network planned for the Country. The Southern Expressway will prove to be a valuable asset not only to the public but also to the economic development of the nation. With this marvel, Sri Lanka, has emerged to demonstrate its strength and capability to overcome challenges, and construct modern, hi-tech infrastructure.
The Southern Region into the economic mainstream of Sri Lanka and improve socioeconomic opportunities for residents. Faster travel and greater economic activity are the indicators of achievement. The expressway is expected to improve links with the more northerly commercial and industrial areas and thus improve the living standards of the population in the area. It will serve as a catalyst for increasing economic or commercial growth of the region, which will contribute to poverty alleviation through development in agriculture, trade, and tourism.
At the same time, the high initial expenditure and long payback periods; possible negative impacts on the natural environment and suburban landscape; social issues, expropriations, noise, air and light pollution; issues with road safety are significant among the issues that are associated with expressway.
