Work on the $110 million National Road 4 upgrading project in the Kingdom’s main economic corridor could start as early as next year, a Ministry of Public Works official has said.
The project, which will affect a more than 200km stretch of road, will take around 18 months to complete. It aims to greatly improve the road leading from the capital to the Kingdom’s only international seaport in Sihanoukville.
Funding will come from a World Bank (WB) loan, which was signed by Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth late last week.
Ministry spokesman Va Sim Sorya told The Post that the project will entail upgrading the road’s shoulders, drainage systems and bridges, and improving vehicle weighing stations to reduce overloading.
Additionally, traffic signs, solar-powered lighting systems and speed cameras will be installed on the now seven metre wide carriageways.
Sim Sorya said that after having received the funding from the WB, the ministry’s working group is now preparing to assemble a construction bid.
“Upgrading work on the road may begin early next year,” he said.
He said the road would not be further widened as there are plans for an expressway, on which construction will begin in November.
Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Freight Forwarders Association, said that upgrading National Road 4 is a positive move for the transport sector.
“In the future, Cambodia will have an expressway from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, so upgrading [National Road 4] is very important,” he said, adding that the road would be further improved if it were widened.
