The government proposal to reduce the cost of the 9.32 kilometre Kerawalapitiya to Kadawatha stretch of the third phase of the Colombo Outer Circular Highway (COCH) by 35.9 per cent or Rs. 23.93 billion has not been fully accepted by the Chinese construction company which handles this phase, said the government.

The government has proposed that the COCH be constructed with only four lanes and also the length and height of the viaducts be reduced.

However, since the Chinese contractor for this stretch of the highway, the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) had not been agreeable to these proposals, the construction work has been further delayed, added the government.

Hence, the government says that another report on possible changes in the scope of work without compromising safety aspects has been obtained from the construction supervision consultant and two major changes proposed.

These changes are the removal of the interchange proposed to be constructed on the Peliyagoda-Puttalam road since an interchange is constructed in Kerawalapitiya and since phase I and II of the expressway has been constructed with only four lanes, this section too to be constructed with four lanes.

The government has approved the completion of this phase with the contract value of this construction reduced by 14.84 percent or Rs. 9.9 billion from the estimated cost from Rs. 66.69 billion.