Transport minister Sun Chanthol (second left) inspects the National Road 3 construction. MPWT
Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol said two underground vehicle scales and 11 speed cameras would be installed along National Road 3.
The project is expected to be completed in September this year, ahead of schedule.
While leading a technical inspection on the road on January 4, Chanthol said: “As of now, construction is about 90 per cent done. Thus, the road project is expected to be completed a year ahead of schedule, which was initially set for 2022.”
He said the project’s accelerated schedule was the result of the ministry’s push for the construction to proceed more quickly so that the road can be opened for public use earlier.
Despite the new completion date, he guaranteed that the road quality will be as good as stated in the project agreement.
Chanthol also said that during the construction, the technical team would install underground scales at weighing station on both sides of the road.
He said the 11 speed cameras are to check for cars driving beyond legal limits and to maintain good road quality.
“Previously, this road had only one place on one side for weighing vehicles. Now, we will build weighing stations on both sides of the road.
“We are discussing the matter of funding for this work, which is not from this project’s budget. We have piloted two underground scales that will be put in operation soon. We will equip speed cameras, too,” he said.
The national road, which has four lanes and cost more than $219 million to build, stretches 134km from Phnom Penh to Kampot province.
The ministry said the project was implemented by China Road and Bridge Corp, while Guangzhou Wanan Construction Supervision Co Ltd runs the technical inspections.
In the project’s initial plan, the expected construction time was 48 months from the start of construction works on May 7, 2018.
Kong Sovann, the Ministry of Rural Development’s special adviser and deputy director of its Community Road Safety Programme, told The Post that if construction completes ahead of schedule it would be welcome news.
However, he expects the ministry’s technical team to conduct a thorough inspection from time to time on technical issues, quality standards and road safety equipment.
Regarding the installation of speed cameras and scales on the national road, Sovann said: “The technology helps people a lot, and it would be quite helpful if the ministry were to develop [the road] that way.
“It will prevent some traders from transporting over the weight limit. When vehicles are overweight, it would not have good balance, which could lead to danger. The government has spent a lot of money on road construction and will spend more if the road is damaged.
“Another thing is that when there is a hole in the road due to overloaded vehicles, that spot would be dangerous to vehicles [because] it could cause [accidents which could end up in] injuries and deaths of innocent people.
“The preparation of the ministry was good, where they requested action from the relevant ministries and institutions to participate in the implementation [of the project],” he added.
