The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has announced plans to renovate National Road 4, with plans to expand its width from 7 to 10m. The work is expected to take five years.

National Road 4 – about 230km – is the main economic link between Phnom Penh and the coastal Preah Sihanouk province. Its condition is sub-optimum due to damage caused by overloaded trucks and rainy season flooding.

According to the ministry’s notice, the government has received a concessional loan from the World Bank to repair and widen the road in order to withstand climate change and improve safety.

The ministry has already begun to expand and repair a section which stretches from Bek Chan commune in Kandal province’s Ang Snoul district to Bit Traing commune of Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nob district.

It said plans included the expansion of existing bridges and also the construction of eight new ones. A total of 46 new sewers and culverts will also be built to mitigate disruption caused by flooding.

The period of expansion and maintenance began in December last year and will continue until December 2026, with the ministry calling for patience and understanding of those living alongside the road.

It also called on the public to obey any traffic management measures applied at the construction sites. These measures were to ensure the work was carried out in a safe fashion, it added.

Kim Panha, director of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation Cambodia, said the rehabilitation and construction of this road was very important because it connect tourist destinations and is an important part of the economy.

“The renovations are also crucial for improving traffic safety. Rehabilitation and construction of this roadare also important for traffic safety,” he said.

Panha expected that the project would create two lanes in each direction, with centre barriers to prevent head-on accidents. Multiple lanes would also reduce congestion, he said.