The second bridge linking Phnom Penh to the Chroy Changvar peninsula will be open for traffic in December, a senior government official announced yesterday.

Tram Iv Tek, the minister of public works and transport said the construction of the 719-metre-long bridge crossing the Tonle Sap river, running parallel to the Cambodian-Japanese Friendship Bridge will be completed by September and be open to traffic the three months later.

“Traffic has been very tight on this bridge during holidays like Khmer New Year, Water Festival and Pchum Ben when people travel into and out of the city,” he said, referring to congestion on the existing bridge. “It is time to address the issue.”

A new roundabout will also be built on the east side of river to smooth the flow of traffic and the existing roundabout will be removed, according to Iv Tek.

Construction on the $27.5 million project began in late 2011, with funding from a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.

It is more than just major infrastructure projects under way in Chroy Changvar.

The commune in Russey Keo district is fast developing as new businesses and housing developers stream in.

Teng Rithy, the general manager of River Town Housing project, a property developer operating in Chroy Changvar says the housing market is moving quickly.

“More and more people are interested in housing here,” he said.

Almost 80 per cent of the houses built in the River Town Housing project have sold since the company started construction in early 2013, Rithy added.

Chrek Soknim, deputy director at VTRUST property said land prices in Chroy Chorngvar had seen a 10 per cent rise compared with last year’s and the new bridge would do more to complement that growth.

“So now we have bridge, we see economic growth happening in the area, with existence of satellite city projects and smaller house building project along National Road 6, it make the demand and price of land in the region higher,” he said.

But the new bridge's completion has not come without sacrifice. The Post reported in August 2011 that 230 surrouding families were affected by the bridge and road expansion. Chroy Changvar commune Chief Pich Sareoun told the Post yesterday that the issue has been long solved.

“Those families who were affected by the bridge and those who were affected by road expansion along with the project have agreed to the compensation evaluated by the Interior Ministry.”

“It was solved, and there is no more problem.”