The 2027 Budget allocates Rs 487 billion for road development, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Thursday, with the largest single line going to the Central Expressway’s Kadawatha–Mirigama section.
The allocations the President set out, as reported by Hiru News, are:
| Project | Allocation |
|---|---|
| Central Expressway, Kadawatha–Mirigama section | Rs 53,450 million |
| Kurunegala–Galewela expressway | Rs 30,000 million |
| Ruwanpura Expressway | Rs 27,000 million |
| Rambukkana–Galagedara road | Rs 23,050 million |
| Expressway link roads | Rs 8,500 million |
| Pothuhera–Rambukkana road | Rs 4,500 million |
The Rs 8,500 million for developing roads connecting to the expressway network was also filed separately by Hiru News.
The six named items total about Rs 146.5 billion, roughly 30 per cent of the Rs 487 billion headline figure. The filing does not account for the remainder, which on past budgets would cover the national, provincial and rural road networks, maintenance and bridges rather than expressway construction.
Context
The Central Expressway has been built in stages, and the Kadawatha–Mirigama section is the stretch that closes the gap between Colombo and the completed sections running north-east. The Ruwanpura Expressway, linking Colombo towards Ratnapura, has repeatedly been slowed by funding constraints since work began.
The Kurunegala–Galewela allocation follows the Kurunegala–Dambulla section of the Central Expressway, which the government has said is due to open in December.
Sourcing note
Hiru News was the only verified newsroom to have filed on the road allocations at the time of writing; on budget day outlets divide the speech into separate line-item reports. Both filings are from the same newsroom, so this report carries a single verified source. The figures are as Hiru recorded them from the speech.
Not reported
The filings do not give construction timelines, say whether the allocations are for new work or for settling arrears on contracts already under way, or identify the funding source for any of the six projects.