- Ministry finalising tender documents
- Cost estimates after tender process
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
The Ministry of Highways is to call for tenders for the construction of the long-delayed Ruwanpura Expressway within the next two weeks,
The Sunday Morning learnt.
As said by a senior official of the Road Development Authority (RDA), the tender documents were now being finalised by the Ministry and the process had been expedited, considering the delay faced by the project during the past few years. The project would commence without any delay, soon after the contractors are finalised, the source stressed.
However, as learnt by
The Sunday Morning, the funds for the project had not yet been finalised and the estimates were to be done after concluding the tender process.
“Once the contractor is selected, the total cost for the project would be calculated and then a loan would be applied from state banks to raise the necessary funds,” the RDA official said, adding that the project had not been delayed under the present Government.
In July, the Cabinet officially removed the Chinese contractor from Section I of the Ruwanpura Expressway Project (REP), which extends from Kahathuduwa to Ingiriya, and decided to go ahead with local funding. As confirmed by Secretary to the Ministry of Highways Ranjith Premasiri, the local funds are to be raised through state banks and the Ministry of Highways is yet to lay out a mechanism for funding purposes.
Accordingly, the Cabinet has removed the Chinese contractor, China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC), that was awarded to construct the 26.3 km-long Section I of the REP in 2016. As per the cabinet memorandum dated 26 July 2016, CNTIC was the proposed contractor for Section I of the REP. The Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal presented by the Minister of Highways to proceed with the expressway constructions using funds of local banks and the services of local construction companies.
The REP from Kahathuduwa to Ratnapura to Pelmadulla (73.9 km) has been divided into three sections for implementation purposes. Section I extends from Kahathuduwa to Ingiriya (26.3 km), Section II from Ingiriya to Ratnapura (26.2 km), and Section III from Ratnapura to Pelmadulla (21.4 km).
