A9 road (Sri Lanka)
| A9 highway | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Part of Asian Highway AH43 | |
| Maintained by the Road Development Authority | |
| Length | 321 km (199 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| South end | Kandy |
| North end | Jaffna |
| Location | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Major cities | Kandy, Matale, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Jaffna |
| Highway system | |
| |
The A9 Highway is a 321-kilometer-long (199 mi)[1] highway in Sri Lanka, which connects the central city of Kandy with Jaffna, a city on the northern tip of the island.
Route
The A9 highway north-bound begins at Kandy, in the central hills. The highway begins at the heart of the city, next to the Kandy Lake. Within Kandy, it meets the
It moves north through the hills to
The A9 passes Kekirawa and Maradankadawala, before reaching the
Passing
History
Civil war era
Due to the
After fighting resumed between government forces and the rebels, the road was closed again in 2006.[3] After mounting a series of offensives against the rebels, the Sri Lankan Army brought the entire highway under its control on January 9, 2009, with the freeing of the strategic Elephant Pass area. This was the first time in 23 years that the government had full control of the entire highway.[4][5]
Reopening
On March 2, 2009, after demining along the highway was completed and damage done to the surface during the conflict repaired, the A9 Highway was reopened for troop movement for the first time since 1984. After an official function at Elephant Pass, the first buses carrying Sri Lanka Army personnel departed the Jaffna Peninsula at 9:04 am. The military expected to reopen the road for civilians in April, which did happen.[3]
Asian Highways
Part of the A9 forms a section of the Asian Highways route AH43. AH43 is unsigned while on the A9.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Road Development Authority, "Class A, B & e Roads". Archived from the original on 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-04-27. Class A & Class B Roads
- ^ "Smooth sailing on A9 highway". The Daily News. 2002-02-16. Archived from the original on 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ a b "A-9 opens". The Daily News. 2009-03-03. Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ A9 REGAINED[permanent dead link], Daily Mirror
- ^ LTTE's most fortified Northern garrison at EPS falls Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Defence
- ^ http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/common/TIS/AH/files/wgm4/Countries/Status/SriLanka.pdf[permanent dead link] Status Paper on Asian Highway Sri Lanka
Maps
- [1] Trace A9 Highway in Sri Lanka road map
