• Number plate backlog to take at least eight months to clear
• Driving licence delays targeted for resolution within a year

The Government is set to launch several major expressway projects before the end of the year while moving to tackle massive backlogs in vehicle number plates and driving licences, Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament yesterday (8).

Among the projects expected to commence in November or December are sections of the Kurunegala–Dambulla Expressway and the Ruwanpura Expressway, while plans are also being prepared for new expressway links from Katunayake towards Chilaw and a possible network centred on Anuradhapura.

Rathnayake said the Government was undertaking major reforms across the transport sector, including the development of expressways, clearing long-standing administrative backlogs and addressing parking issues in congested urban areas.

However, he acknowledged that Sri Lanka's transport system remained in a difficult state and required much more work.

“Our country's transport system is not in good condition. It is a very problematic situation. We are trying to correct it, but I don't think that we have brought it to a sufficient level yet,” he said.

He noted the expressway construction required massive investments but said several key projects were expected to move forward this year.

The Government plans to begin construction of the Kurunegala–Galgamuwa section of the Kurunegala–Dambulla Expressway in November or December. Work on the Kahathuduwa–Ingiriya section of the Ruwanpura Expressway is also expected to begin towards the end of the year.

Meanwhile, President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to begin planning for a proposed expressway linking Katunayake with Chilaw.

“We have now instructed the Road Development Authority to begin the feasibility studies. We hope to construct that expressway from Katunayake to a point beyond Chilaw,” Rathnayake said.

The Government is also studying the possibility of developing an expressway network centred on Anuradhapura rather than linking every proposed expressway directly to Colombo.

“We are studying this option because connecting every proposed expressway directly to Colombo could make some projects economically difficult to sustain,” he said.

Rathnayake added that construction of the Kadawatha–Mirigama section of the Central Expressway is expected to be completed by May 2028, while the Pothuhera–Rambukkana section is scheduled for completion by April 2027. Several remaining sections of the country's expressway network are expected to be completed by 2029.

Meanwhile, the Minister said clearing the massive backlog of vehicle number plates would take at least eight months, while the Government expects to resolve the backlog in issuing driving licences within about a year.

He said the Department of Motor Traffic was facing serious backlogs in both services despite efforts to improve its operations.

“There is a backlog of hundreds of thousands of number plates. Even if we clear the number plate backlog at the maximum possible speed, it will take at least eight months,” Rathnayake said.

The backlog in driving licences was equally serious, he added, with some applicants having waited for one or two years to receive their licences.

“Some driving licences have still not been received even after one or two years. We expect to clear this backlog within about a year,” he said.

Despite the existing backlog, Rathnayake said those applying for number plates from now onwards could expect to receive them within about two weeks.

The Government is also changing the number plate system for electric vehicles, with EVs set to receive green number plates while other vehicles will continue to use the existing yellow plates.