South end: Pelmadulla A4 | Length 71.8 km | |
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History: Completion expected in early 2019 North end: Kahathuduwa E01 Southern Expressway Towns: Horana, Ingiriya, Kiriella, Kuruwita, Thiruwanaketiya, Ratnapura | ||
The Ruwanpura Expressway, also known as the Ratnapura Expressway will be Sri Lanka's sixth E Class highway. The 71.8 km (44.6 mi) long highway will link the Kahathuduwa exit on the Southern Expressway with Pelmadulla, a major city in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, via Ratnapura, the provincial capital of Sabargamuwa Province.
Construction of the highway is proposed to commence in January 2017 and will be built in 3 stages. The expressway is proposed to be completed by 2019. It is anticipated that the new expressway will reduce commuting time between Colombo and Ratnapura to 45 mins and Colombo and Palmadulla to one hour. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe launched the construction of the expressway by laying a foundation stone in February to build this expressway.