The Kaduwela to Kadawatha 8.9 kilometre stretch of the Outer Circular highway which connects the Southern Expressway at Kottawa under its second phase and on which the former government had already started work and was scheduled to be completed and declared open this month (May) has been reportedly been delayed till June.

A spokesman from the Highways and Investment Promotion Ministry said since the construction work could not be completed by end May this section would be definitely declared open by mid June.

The government has planned to begin construction on the 9.32 kilometre stretch of this highway from Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya under the third phase very soon.

Yesterday (25 May) while quoting a spokesman from the Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC) which is the main contractor of the third phase of the Outer Circular highway, the Chinese embassy in Colombo stated that the allegation of the costs of this project rising was false.

Once the third phase of this highway is completed, anyone arriving from the Southern Expressway could directly proceed to Katunayake.

The complete distance of the Outer Circular highway is 29.1 kilometres.