Sri Lanka demands CHEC redo cracked road

(Sunday Leader): The Sri Lanka government has faulted the Chinese contractor of the Southern Expressway for the poor carpeting of the highway and has ordered an immediate recarpeting before its opening scheduled to coincide with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s birthday. The contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has agreed to reconstruct the carpeting at its expense after the government claimed it would not accept the highway if it was not up to standard. Deputy Highways Minister Nirmala Kothalawala told The Sunday Leader that the carpeting on certain parts of the road on a 6-7 kilometer stretch has not been properly laid.

Kothalawala explained that cracks begin to appear when the carpeting is not done properly. He said that once the highway was completed, a thorough test was carried out to test the road, the bridges and the culverts.

“It was then that we found that certain areas on a 6-7 kilometer stretch had not been carpeted properly,” he added. Kothalawala said the government had immediately informed the Chinese contractor that the highway would not be accepted if it was not up to standard.  “The contractor agreed and they got down a special machine for the recarpeting. The work is now being completed,” the Minister said.

Go to article