E01 expressway (Sri Lanka)

The Southern Expressway(Sinhala: දක්ෂිණ ලංකා අධිවේගි මාර්ගය, romanized: Dakśina Laṃkā adhivēgi mārgaya; Tamil: தென்னிலங்கை அதிவேக நெடுஞ்சாலை) is Sri Lanka's first E Class highway. The 222-kilometre-long (138 mi) highway links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with Galle, Matara and Hambantota, major cities in the south of the island.

Southern Expressway
Colombo–Matara Expressway
Route information
Maintained by the Road Development Authority
Length	222 km (138 mi)
Existed	27 November 2011 (2011-11-27)–present
History	Kottawa-Galle section opened on 27 November 2011. Galle-Matara section opened on 15 March 2014. Matara-Hambantota Section opened on 23 February 2020.
Major junctions
North end	Kottawa  A4  - Start of  E02  Colombo Outer Circular Expressway
	Interchange 2 → B84 in Kahathuduwa - Start of  E06  Ruwanpura Expressway Interchange 3 →  A8  in Gelanigama Interchange 4 → B304 in Dodangoda Interchange 5 → B157 in Welipanna Interchange 6 → B14 in Kurundugahahetekma Interchange 7 → B153 in Baddegama Interchange 8 → B594 in Pinnaduwa Interchange 9 →  A17  in Imaduwa Interchange 10 → B465 in Kokmaduwa
South end	Mattala  A24
Location
Towns	Panadura, Kalutara, Matugama, Bentota, Elpitiya, Ambalangoda, Galle, Matara, Aparekka, Beliatta, Agunukolapelessa, Mattala, Hambantota
Highway system
Expressways of Sri Lanka

The Southern Expressway Project (SEP) was introduced by the Road Development Authority and the Ministry of Highways as far back as late 1980s. The University of Moratuwa undertook an Environment Impact Assessment study in 1996, which was submitted to the government in early 1997.[1][2][3]

Construction of the highway began in 2003 and completion up to Galle was achieved by November 2011. March 2014 saw the section from Galle to Matara being declared open to the public. The construction of the expressway was partly funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, who were responsible for the 65 km (40 mi) section between Kurundugahahetekma and Kokmaduwa, and the Asian Development Bank, responsible for the 161 km (100 mi) section between Kurundugahahetekma and Pinnaduwa. The expressway reduces the time taken to travel from Colombo to Galle (116 km (72 mi)) to one hour from three hours, and Colombo to Matara (29.3 km (18.2 mi)) to one and a half hours from four hours taken by the regular A2 highway.

The extension of the expressway to Hambantota was inaugurated on 4 July 2015. The extension will be four lanes (with allowance of further two lanes in future), the cost of US$180M being funded by the Exim Bank of China.[4]

On 10 August 2015, a Highway Traffic Management system was inaugurated and currently covers the length of the expressway, including the Outer-Circular Expressway.

On 23 February 2020, The final stage of the expressway which links to Hambanthota was opened to the public.[5][6]