Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena on Monday (24) inaugurated construction work on the Warakapola Alternative Road Project, a Rs. 4,998 million investment aimed at easing traffic congestion around Warakapola town.

According to the Deputy Minister, the project covers a 2.32‑kilometre stretch and is scheduled for completion by August 21, 2028.

Key design features include:

• Road length: 2.32 km
• Carriageway width: 7 meters (two lanes of 3.5 m each)
• Hard shoulder: 1.5 meters
• Soft shoulder: 2.4 meters
• Viaducts: 3, with a combined length of 476.5 meters
• Bridges: 2
• Culverts: 8
• Retaining walls: total length of 1,035 meters

Deputy Minister Gunasena said the project will significantly reduce traffic congestion in Warakapola town and provide safer, more efficient transport for commuters and goods. (Newswire)

The post Construction of Warakapola alternative road project launched appeared first on Newswire.

Four leading building contractors have been debarred from participating in tenders for periods of between three years and six months by the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development. 

According to the Sunday Times, the companies blacklisted last week are M/s Consulting Engineers & Contractors (Pvt) Ltd (three years),  M/s V.V. Karunaratne & Company (one year), M/s HOVAEL Construction (Pvt) Ltd (one year), and W.K.K. Engineering Company (Pvt) Ltd (six months).

The companies are also debarred from entering into any new contracts or subcontracts under the purview of the Ministry.

The report further states that, according to a Cabinet paper, three of the companies are alleged to have provided false information to secure a lucrative contract under Section 3 of the Central Expressway Project.

It is reported that due procedure was followed, including the appointment of an independent committee, the inspection of documents submitted by the companies, a hearing on October 10, 2025, and further communications related to the allegations, before the initiation of action. 

The entities are entitled to appeal. It is the first time such action has ever been taken in the highways sector. (Newswire)

The post 04 top contractors blacklisted over Central Expressway project allegations appeared first on Newswire.