The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to entrust the Road Development Authority (RDA) with the rehabilitation of roads currently under other authorities but requiring urgent renovation.

The RDA already holds responsibility for constructing, upgrading, maintaining, and managing the national highway system, including 4th and 5th grade roads, expressways, and related bridges. 

District Coordinating Committees and other institutions had requested that certain roads under provincial and local bodies be handed over to the RDA for repair.

Officials said around 60 such roads belonging to Provincial Councils and local government institutions have been identified. 

To recommend future steps for their rehabilitation, the Cabinet endorsed the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to appoint an officials’ committee.

The committee will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies; Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development; Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government; Finance Commission; a Provincial Chief Secretary; Department of Management Services; Road Development Authority; and a Provincial Road Development Authority.

The move is aimed at streamlining road rehabilitation and ensuring consistent standards across the national network. (Newswire)

The post Officials’ Committee formed to upgrade 60 provincial roads appeared first on Newswire.

The Road Development Authority (RDA) has called on motorists to pay close attention to cautionary messages displayed on electronic boards along the expressway as adverse weather continues to affect driving conditions.

The RDA noted that poor weather has brought darkness and mist even during daytime hours, advising drivers to switch on their headlights while travelling.

The RDA further instructed motorists to maintain speeds within the 60 km/h limit, keep safe distances between vehicles, and avoid sudden braking at high speeds, which could lead to accidents.

The advisory comes as heavy rain and mist reduce visibility on Sri Lanka’s expressways. (Newswire)

The post Adverse Weather : Special notice to drivers travelling on the expressway appeared first on Newswire.

The Road Development Authority (RDA) is preparing to introduce a new toll collection method known as Multi‑Lane Free Flow (MLFF), as part of efforts to reduce cash handling on Sri Lanka’s expressways.

Addressing the media, RDA Director General Anuradha Hettiarachchi said the system is part of the authority’s continuous measures to modernize toll operations and improve efficiency. 

The MLFF system will allow vehicles to pass through toll points without stopping, with payments processed electronically.

He explained that the MLFF system will be introduced in parallel with the existing Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) on expressways.

“From April 10–22, during the New Year festive season, over 1.4 million vehicles travelled on the expressways. We earned revenue of over Rs. 536 million,” Hettiarachchi said.

The RDA Director General further revealed that the stretch from Pothuhera to Rambukkana will be opened by March 2027, while the stretch from Kadawatha to Mirigama will be opened to the public by the end of 2028.

“We have already taken measures to introduce cashless transactions at expressways, such as card payments. Along with this, we hope to introduce the Multi‑Lane Free Flow system, which will be equivalent to the system found in other countries,” he added.

Under the MLFF system, vehicle number plates will be identified and payments deducted digitally, with steps currently underway to implement the technology. (Newswire)

The post RDA to roll out Multi‑Lane Free Flow toll system on expressways appeared first on Newswire.

Advanced drones handed over by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to Sri Lanka’s Road Development Authority (RDA) in February are to be used exclusively to strengthen landslide disaster prevention and plan emergency measures more effectively.

According to a JICA statement, on 26 February 2026, JICA officially handed over advanced drones to the RDA under the Project for Strengthening Landslide Disaster Prevention Capacity for Resilient Road Transportation (2025–2028).

Following an urgent request from the RDA, JICA supported a comprehensive post‑disaster road survey in December after the severe impacts of Cyclone Ditwah. 

JICA states these drones will now be used exclusively for aerial reconnaissance of hazardous slopes, helping RDA engineers and Japanese experts conduct wide field investigations, assess landslide‑affected areas, identify high‑risk road sections, and plan emergency measures more effectively.

The drones enhance real‑time assessment, accurate topographic surveys, 3D models to assess landslide extent, faster surveys at hazardous sites and monitoring of vulnerable road sections. 

They will also feed high‑resolution data into the Sri Lanka Road Asset Management System, strengthening on‑site decision‑making during emergencies.

This timely support boosts disaster preparedness, strengthens emergency response, and contributes to a safer, more resilient national road network, JICA added. (Newswire)

The post JICA provides advanced Drones to RDA appeared first on Newswire.

The body of a 30-year-old man who went missing after a landslide struck the village of Gawarammana in Welimada  was recovered on Monday (26th), more than two months after the incident.

The victim, a father of one, was employed by the Road Development Authority and was serving as a lorry driver at the time of the accident. He was reported missing after a landslide occurred on November 27 while road-clearing operations were under way following heavy rains.

According to a witness, Road Development Authority workers arrived at the site around 2:15 p.m. on November 26th to clear damage caused by earlier landslides.

The fatal landslide struck the following day at approximately 11:40 a.m. as workers were attempting to remove a fallen tree that was blocking the road. (Newswire)

The post Body of RDA worker missing after landslide found after two months appeared first on Newswire.

The Road Development Authority (RDA) says that a program has been initiated to illuminate pedestrian crossings at night.

The RDA’s Deputy Director General for Road Safety and Traffic Management, K. Chandrakumara, stated that steps will be taken to illuminate pedestrian crossings located at vulnerable locations identified in the first phase.

Chandrakumara further stated that solar panels will be used for this purpose.

He went on to note that this will make pedestrians crossing the road at night more visible to drivers, reducing the risk of accidents.

The RDA official revealed that 140 such pedestrian crossings have already been illuminated in the Kurunegala, Galle and Colombo districts.

The initiative is being implemented as a large number of people lose their lives yearly due to accidents that occur at pedestrian crossings. (Newswire)

The post RDA to illuminate pedestrian crossings at night for accident prevention appeared first on Newswire.

The Road Development Authority (RDA) says that galvanized safety barriers will be constructed on both sides of the road in dangerous and accident-prone areas in the upcountry.

The RDA said that there are approximately 500 kilometres of such places in the Nuwara Eliya district alone.

Stating that the construction of approximately 15 kilometres of safety barriers has been completed, the RDA said priority has been given to areas where traffic accidents have occurred in the past.

The RDA further said that under this, plans have been made to construct galvanized safety barriers at dangerous locations on roads in the Kandy, Matale and Badulla districts as well. (Newswire)

The post RDA to construct safety barriers in accident-prone areas in the upcountry appeared first on Newswire.

The Court of Appeal has issued a writ order cancelling the decision to appoint S.M.P. Sooriya Bandara as the Director General of the Road Development Authority (RDA) in 2024.

The court further ordered that K.W. Kandambi be appointed to the post, effective from March 5, 2024, instructing the RDA and the Minister of Transport and Highways in this regard. 

Taking up for hearing the writ petition filed by Kandambi, challenging the appointment, the Court of Appeal bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal Mohamed Laffar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake, issued the ruling. 

In his petition, Kandambi claimed that as an experienced staff member who has served the RDA for nearly 23 years, he had sat for the examinations held for the post of Director General and had obtained 61 marks in the interview.

He further pointed out that despite receiving lesser marks than the petitioner, S.M.P. Suriya Bandara was appointed to the position on March 5, 2024, according to the decision taken by the RDA.

Arguing that appointing a candidate who scored fewer marks was against the law, he requested the court to issue an order to nullify that decision. (Newswire)

The post Court of Appeal quashes RDA DG’s appointment appeared first on Newswire.

Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel have been deployed for duty on expressways.

According to the Road Development Authority (RDA), STF officers have been deployed to assist during accidents and on fire extinguishing duties. 

The STF officers have been deployed on duty since last night (10 Mar). (Newswire)

The post Police STF deployed on expressway duties appeared first on Newswire.

The services of 22 cashiers at the Athurugiriya Interchange have been suspended due to financial fraud amounting to millions of Rupees, according to the Road Development Authority (RDA). 

According to media reports, RDA Director General Engineer Priyantha Suriyabandara said the financial fraud has taken place at the Athurugiriya Interchange located on the Outer Circular Expressway. 

The services of the cashiers at the Athurugiriya Interchange have been suspended by the Deputy Director General of the RDA on the directive of the RDA Director General. 

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the large-scale financial fraud is said to have been initially carried out by taking advantage of the electricity crisis faced in Sri Lanka in 2020.

Investigations reveal that the financial fraud later continued to be carried out by disconnecting the power supply or by sneakily removing the power supply wire. 

The cashiers are said to have suspended power so that CCTV cameras do not function and had received payments from motorists passing through the interchange, which they had taken for themselves.

It has been found that out of the 27 cashiers employed at the Athurugiriya Interchange 22 had engaged in the said financial fraud.

Investigations have found that the continuous malfunction of CCTV cameras in late January this year had resulted in a financial fraud of nearly Rs. 2 million. (Newswire)

The post Expressway fraud : Services of 22 cashiers suspended appeared first on Newswire.

The daily operations and management of Sri Lanka’s expressways, which are currently handled by the Road Development Authority (RDA), are to be vested with Sahasya Investment Limited this year.

Cabinet approval has been granted for the proposal put forth in this regard by the Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Guanwardena.

Accordingly, the operations and management of Sri Lanka’s expressways will be vested with Sahasya Investment Limited with effect from April 01, 2024. 

The transfer is to be carried out as per a formal management agreement between the RDA and Sahasya Investments Limited.

Meanwhile, the transfer of all the relevant assets to Sasahasya Investments Limited is to take place within six months consequent to a legal and financial feasibility study jointly conducted by the two parties.

Cabinet Decision : 

In the Cabinet meeting held on 26.06.2023, approval was granted for the shifting of the expressway network from the Road Development Authority (RDA) to Sahasya Investment Limited so that the land owned by highways, highway loans and related staff can be managed more commercially. The respective action plan was approved in the Cabinet meeting held on 05.02.2024. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport and Highways to shift the daily operations and management of expressways to Sahasya Investment Limited from 01.04.2024 per a formal management agreement and to transfer all the relevant assets to Sasahasya Investments Limited within six months consequent to a legal and financial feasibility study jointly conducted by the RDA and Sahasya Investments Limited. (NewsWire)

The post Management of Expressways in Sri Lanka : New decision appeared first on Newswire.

One lane of the stretch of road obstructed due to an earth slip between Pinnaduwa and Imaduwa interchanges on the Southern Expressway will be open for traffic this evening, the Road Development Authority (RDA) said.

According to the RDA, the lane will be open for traffic both ways from 6:00 p.m. today.

Providing an update on the road earlier today, the Expressway Operation Maintenance And Management Division said measures were underway for the restoration of the road. 

Clearing work required to reopen the expressway for traffic was being carried out by the Division’s task force.

Traffic was suspended on the stretch of road near the 102km Post between Pinnaduwa and Imaduwa interchanges following a recent earth slip due to inclement weather. (NewsWire)

The post Southern Expressway : One lane to open for traffic this evening appeared first on Newswire.