Overview 

Sri Lanka has a well-established road network that serves as the primary mode of transportation within the country. Centred around the commercial capital Colombo, this comprehensive network extends throughout the entire island, effectively handling over 90% of freight and passenger traffic. While some roads in Sri Lanka are under provincial control, the majority of them fall under the purview of the Sri Lanka Road Development Authority (RDA), the premier national organization responsible for the development and maintenance of the road sector. RDA ensures efficient and safe mobility of people and goods while promoting socio-economic progress.

Following the end of the civil war in 2009, there was a significant acceleration in road development, including the nationalization of new expressways and the construction of several overhead bridges. However, Sri Lanka continues to grapple with the substantial challenge of meeting the increasing demand for roads. The majority of the existing road is aging and now carries higher traffic volumes than originally anticipated, posing a significant obstacle to sustained economic and social development, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged regions. Hence, expansion projects are currently underway. 

The RDA has strategically planned the future development of the National Highway Network by focusing on two main components. Firstly, it targets at the existing National Highways that need complete rehabilitation due to their age. Secondly, the plan includes the development of a High Mobility Road Network in the long term to facilitate greater mobility, shorter travel time and provide easy accessibility with improved safety to the people.

The ongoing projects of the RDA can be viewed through the following link:

http://www.rda.gov.lk/source/project_details.htm

One of the ongoing major projects is the Integrated Road Investment Program (iRoad) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The investment program aims to enhance rural accessibility and promote economic and social development in Sri Lanka by upgrading and maintaining 2,200 km of rural roads, rehabilitating and maintaining to a good condition about 400 km of national roads, and improving the capacity of road agencies. This initiative will have a catalytic impact on Sri Lanka's sustainable development. As of 31 October 2021, physical progress is 81.7%. The overall progress slowed down due to COVID -19.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List

Distance Matrix

Source: http://www.rda.gov.lk/supported/national_highways/distcity.pdf

Road Security

In Sri Lanka, road safety is ensured by the National Council for Road safety:

http://www.roadsafety.gov.lk/index.php/en/

Sri Lanka faces an alarming road safety situation, with an average of 38,000 crashes annually resulting in 3,000 deaths and 8,000 serious injuries. The road accident rate is significantly influenced by weather conditions since they impact road conditions and traffic flow. In Sri Lanka, the average annual rainfall ranges from 900 mm to 6,000 mm, with the wet zone experiencing over 2500 mm annually, making roads potentially hazardous during the rainy season and susceptible to blockages in hilly areas caused by floods and landslides.

To combat this crisis, the government is introducing several measures and policies, such as the establishment of the National Road Safety Commission, setting up a national road crash database, and improving infrastructure.

In Sri Lanka, the driving license is the official document which authorizes its holder to operate various types of the motor vehicle on public roads. They are administered by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT). A driving license is required to drive on a public road and the minimum age is 18 years for all vehicles.

A Vehicle Emission Test Certificate and a valid revenue licence are mandatory requirements when obtaining/renewing a vehicle’s revenue license. Vehicle Emission Testing is a test conducted once a year to measure the level of air pollutants released from the exhaust of a motor vehicle.

For foreigners seeking to convert their driving licenses in Sri Lanka, please refer to the following link for detailed instructions on the conversion process:

https://dmt.gov.lk/images/PDF/Downloads/Forms/circulars/2022_14e.pdf

The document includes information on the Conversion of Foreign Driving License into Sri Lankan Driving License and the Procedure for issuing a Sri Lankan driving license to a holder of driving license issued outside of Sri Lanka, as per section 131 of the Motor Traffic Act.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

Road Class and Surface Conditions

Source: http://www.rda.gov.lk/source/rda_roads.htm

National highways in Sri Lanka are divided into 3 categories: E, A, or B. These classifications are determined by factors such as size, utility, traffic capacity, and the condition of the roads.

Class "E" Roads: Expressways are primarily clustered in the southern and central regions of Sri Lanka. These are toll roads with controlled access. E-grade highways have speed limits ranging from 80 to 110 kilometers per hour 50 to 68 miles per hour) and do not allow pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, three-wheelers, and tractors to enter.

Class "A" Roads: These are arteries or long-distance routes connecting major cities and towns. They can be further categorized into AA, AB, or AC subdivisions.

Class "B" Roads: These roads channel traffic from residential areas, industrial zones, and town centers into Class "A" Roads, and facilitate the connection between administrative districts and provincial cities.

Additionally, there are also Class "C" Roads that serve as local resident roads, facilitating transportation within neighborhoods.

Even though the overall road density is high in Sri Lanka relative to other developing countries, the condition of C class and B class roads are mostly not in good condition. Those roads are occasionally not wide enough for buses as well. However, the A class roads which have been developed few decades back is currently under widening and resurfacing processes, thus the conditions of A class roads are relatively good. The main reason is that the roads reach its maximum capacity during the peak hours causing heavy traffic. When considering the expressways, the fact that they were built very recently ensures that the conditions are good and guarantees a fast and smooth journey.

To address the capacity shortage caused by the rapid increase in traffic volume, and to improve the transportation system for economic development and upgrading, currently four major expressways have been constructed, with plans for further upgrades and enhancements.

Source: http://www.exway.rda.gov.lk/index.php?page=expressway_network/exps