By: Staff Writer
August 11, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s Port Access Elevated Highway project is facing renewed scrutiny after Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Infrastructure and Strategic Development raised concerns over escalating costs, stalled components and the absence of updated economic assessments.
The project, intended to improve connectivity to the Colombo Port and Port City Colombo while reducing congestion, travel time and fuel consumption, was estimated at Rs. 28 billion when its cost and feasibility were last studied in 2015. Its current estimated cost has risen to Rs. 52 billion.
Nevertheless, when officials appeared before the Committee chaired by MP S.M. Marikkar, they were unable to provide a clear timeline for completion of the overall project, expected returns on investment, or detailed assessments of its wider economic and social benefits.
That gap has become particularly significant as the project’s price tag has nearly doubled.
Marikkar questioned why updated assessments had not been conducted when the additional financial burden would ultimately fall on the public. He also challenged the Road Development Authority’s (RDA) monopoly over the project, arguing that it could undermine timely implementation, due diligence and transparency.
He contrasted this with phases supported by the Asian Development Bank, where stronger accountability requirements apply.
The project consists of four ramps, including an undersea tunnel linking Port City Colombo with Marine Drive. Of these, ramp three, connecting the New Kelani Bridge to Colombo Port, is expected to be completed this year.
Officials say the ramp could cut access time to the Port from several hours during periods of congestion to less than 30 minutes. However, they could not quantify what this improvement would mean in terms of economic gains, social benefits or investment returns.
The remaining three ramps are still stuck in planning and land acquisition stages. Final permission from CHEC Port City is also pending for relevant components.
The uncertainty raises questions beyond construction delays. If the project is justified partly on the basis of reduced congestion and travel-time and fuel savings, those benefits need to be measured against the rapidly increasing capital cost.
The Committee has now instructed officials from the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, RDA, Colombo Municipal Council and electricity and water utilities to submit detailed reports on infrastructure and utility development serving Port City Colombo.
For a project whose estimated cost has climbed by Rs. 24 billion since its last feasibility assessment, the unanswered question is increasingly straightforward: what will the public receive in return for the additional investment?
Until updated economic, social and financial assessments are placed before Parliament, the project’s rising price tag remains easier to measure than its promised returns.
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