New road shortens travel time between Bangkok, Angkor

Hun Sen (L) with ADB president Haruhiko Kuroda (R).

Source: Xinhua
December 28, 2009

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday inaugurated a new 150 kilometer road running from Siem Reap to Poipet, on the border with Thailand.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has funded the rehabilitation of National Roads 5 and 6, the central component of a larger 50 million U.S. dollars road improvement project for Cambodia's northwest.

The old road was largely devoid of pavement after almost 30 years of civil strife, and often impassable during the rainy season. Most of the road's bridges had been demolished during wartime, with only decrepit Bailey bridges - portable pre-fabricated truss bridges - in their place, according to a press release of the ADB.

The new road will be a boon for overland tourism, making it easier and more affordable for local and foreign tourists to visit the renowned World Heritage site, Angkor Wat.

The once-arduous trip from Poipet to Siem Reap, site of the ancient temple, usually requiring an overnight stay along the way, can now be made at a leisurely pace in one day during daytime.

"With the new road you can have breakfast in Bangkok and supper in Siem Reap," said Putu Kamayana, ADB's Country Director in Cambodia.

The new all-weather road features modern drainage systems with raised embankments, and can withstand severe floods and torrential tropical downpours.

The revitalized road is expected to pave the way for increasing commerce between Cambodia and Thailand, which already amounts to billions of dollars in bilateral trade each year.

"Forging stronger linkages and bonds between neighboring countries benefits both nations' people," said Kamayana.

Another ADB-funded project is rehabilitating rural roads in Cambodia's northwest that link the new road between Siem Reap and Poipet, extending the road's benefits to people throughout this region of the country.

"Families who found themselves unable to access crucial social services for large parts of the year will now have reliable, year-round access to healthcare and schools," said Shihiru Date, Transport Specialist in ADB's Southeast Department.