Announcement of Road Study in Ceylon on August 31, 1967

HOLD FOR RELEASE onAL WORLD BANK INTERNATIONAL BANK FO)R RECONSTRUCT ON AD DELOPMENT 1818 H STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON D. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 UM E For Publication on or after Subject: Road Study in Ceylon August 31, 1967 The World Bank and the Government of Ceylon have signed an agreement where- by the Bank will make a technical assistance grant equivalent to $200,000 for a highway study in Ceylon. The purpose of the study will be to provide a 10-year master plan for the rehabilitation and development of primary and secondary high- ways; the formulation of a program Eor the improvement of the organization, opera- tion, equipment and research of the highway administration, with particular empha- sis on highway maintenance; and the identification of highway projects which might be suitable for foreign financing. The World Bank has retained the consulting firm of Wilbur Smith and Associates of New Haven, Connecticut to carry out the study. This firm made a general study of Ceylon's transport system in 1961. The consultants are expected to begin their work in Ceylon in September and the study should be finished in about a year. The Government of Ceylon will finance the local costs of the study which are expected to be equivalent to $38,000 and, in addition, will provide loc. equipment, facili- ties and services required for the study. Ceylon's road network totals about 13,000 miles, made up of 5,200 miles of national and provincial roads and about 7,800 miles of district roads. In general, the roads are narrow, with sharp curves and steep grades, most of them permitting only single-lane traffic, and many bridges are obsolete. Maintenance is at present handicapped by an inadequate stock of maintenance equipment due largely to the country's severe shortage of foreign exchange which has limited imports of the necessary replacements and spare parts.