New roads take shape in Cambodia

March 14, 2013 by Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit  

KAMPONG CHAM, 14 March 2013: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expects a new section of national highway 6A from Bathey district in Kampong Cham province to Siem Reap, will help to boost the country’s economy.

The PM said work on widening and improving the 248 km stretch of national highway 6A was a vital development that would build the economy and tourism. The road will be widened from 7 to 12 metres with some places as wide as 25 metres.

 

“Work on the project will begin in Bathey district in Kampong Cham province in the east to Siem Reap province in the northwest,” he told local media.

The PM said: “The road is a very important link to serve travellers from Phnom Penh to various provinces including the tourism province of Siem Reap and to the Thai border…it will contribute to develop the Cambodian economy and tourism.”

Once it completed, the section of the highway will be the most modern and longest in the kingdom, he said.

“To date, China has built tar-paved roads covering 2,000 km in Cambodia, making China the largest donor in road development in Cambodia,” he added.

The highway 6A project is being undertaken by China’s Shanghai Construction (Group) General Company which started  construction 5 March.

It is expected to be completed in 42 months at a cost of US$248 million, which will be covered by a concessional loan from the Chinese government.

National Highway 6 or National Road No 6 (10006) is 416 km long (258 miles) and connects the capital of Phnom Penh with Banteay Meanchey.

Last December, Cambodia inaugurated a China-funded national road No 78 in the country’s northeastern provinces. The 121-km road, extends from Ratanakiri province to Stung Treng province, and was built by China’s Shanghai Construction (Group) General Company at a cost of US$73.3 million funded by soft loans from the Chinese government. It took 40 months to be complete.

Cambodia also inaugurated in November 2012 a 133-km China-funded national road no 8 in Prey Veng province. The road, which connects Prek Tamak Mekong River Bridge to Vietnam’s border, cost about US$107 million including a US$83 million concessional loan from Chinese government and the balance was covered by the Cambodian government.

It took four years to be complete. Prey Veng province is situated about 78 km in the east of Phnom Penh.