Travelling to and from Colombo these days can be hell because of all the construction going on. We did a loop around Colombo, starting from Wellawatte up to Galle face (on Galle Rd) and back again through Duplication Rd, and made a pretty neat video using Hyperlapse. So here’s the break down:
Wellawatte to Bambalapitiya (Est. date of completion- October 2014)
When you’re travelling on Galle Rd, towards Colombo things are pretty good up to the Dehiwala Bridge. This is the point where things get bad, pretty much all the way up to Bamabalapitiya junction.
Bambalapitiya to Kollupitiya
This is the “”best”” part of Colombo to drive through at the moment, or rather the least stressful, and it’s more or less complete with the exception of a few stretches of pavement. You can expect a relatively hassle free drive from Bamba to Kollupitiya junction.
Kollupitiya to Galle Face (Est. date of completion- January 2015)
The construction starts again right after Kollupitiya junction and continues all the way up to the Kingsbury roundabout, past the Galle Face green. Covering this short stretch can take up to 15 minutes during rush hour so be mindful.
Duplication Rd – Kollupitiya to Wellawatte (Est. date of completion- January 2015)
It’s all bad! If you can avoid driving back through Duplication Rd, by all means do. It’s continuous construction right throughout that tends to take up nearly an entire lane,so there isn’t really any room for traffic to ease up.
Conclusion
Colombo roads are in chaos right now with the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project going on. The good news though is that if things go as planned, pretty much all of it should be completed by the end of this year, which we’re already more than halfway through.