The Kadawatha–Mirigama section of the Central Expressway could be opened to the public by April 2028, Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister Bimal Ratnayake told Newswire.
The Minister spoke during an inspection tour of the construction work on the 37-kilometre stretch, which is the first phase of the Central Expressway.
In September 2026, he told Parliament that the section was expected to be completed by May 2028. His latest remarks point to an opening a month earlier.
A Ministry of Transport and Highways update in August 2026 said physical progress had passed 53 percent. The authorities are aiming for 65 percent by the end of 2026 and 95 percent by the end of 2027.
The government has set aside Rs. 66.15 billion for the project in the 2026 Budget.
Once built, the section is expected to link the Central Expressway with the Southern Expressway and the Colombo–Katunayake Expressway through the Outer Circular Highway.
Background
The Kadawatha–Mirigama section is one of Sri Lanka’s long-delayed major infrastructure projects. Work was suspended because of the country’s economic crisis and funding difficulties, and construction resumed in September 2025.
The Central Expressway is planned to improve road connections between Colombo and the central parts of the country. The Kadawatha–Mirigama stretch is its first phase.
The dates given so far are targets. The Minister’s April 2028 date and the May 2028 date he gave Parliament in September 2026 are both estimates, and the ministry’s progress figures show how much work remains to be done before either date.
What it means
For motorists and bus passengers who travel between Colombo and the central regions, the Minister’s remarks give the latest official target for a new expressway link, though it is still more than a year away.
Because the section is meant to connect with the Southern and Colombo–Katunayake expressways through the Outer Circular Highway, its opening is expected to change how traffic moves between those routes. The ministry has not published toll rates or travel-time estimates for the new section in the statements reported so far.
