Sri Lanka, Sept. 18 -- Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake said that a new, small-scale service station is expected to be launched by the end of September at Udukawa, along the Southern Expressway.

Currently, the only official service centre available to motorists on the Southern Expressway is located at Welipenna, which serves both directions. The lack of additional service stations has long been a concern for commuters and long-distance travellers.

Minister Rathnayake said that the construction of more service centres had previously been delayed due to concerns that they could negatively affect certain private businesses operating near the expressway.

"Along the Southern Expressway, we've noticed that there's only one service cent...