The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has signed contracts with CC1 and CIENCO6 road construction contractors to upgrade a stretch of National Road 5 running from Thlea Ma’am in Pursat province’s Krakor district to Banteay Meanchey province’s Sisophon and Poipet towns through Battambang province.

This project is part of the fourth aid package donated by Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Cambodia.

Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol told reporters after the signing ceremony that it was part of the expansion of National Road 5 from two to four lanes.

He said the road is 340km long but required 62km of additional roads to detour traffic around the towns and the total cost of the project was estimated at $500 million.

“National Road 5 is one of the main roads in Cambodia and part of ASIAN Highway 1 that connects China to Myanmar and Thailand to Cambodia and then to Vietnam via National Road 1, which was also built with contributions from JICA,” Chanthol said.

He added that the transit of goods from Thailand to Cambodia to Vietnam was previously through National Roads 5 and 1, while the section of road connecting Battambang was 63 per cent complete and is scheduled to be finished next year.

He said the ministry would bid for the construction of six truck-weighing scales on National Road 5 to prevent illegal overloading, which damages the road.

The minister claimed that construction of the road from Battambang to Sisophon town was already complete, and the construction has been carried out in accordance with technical standards and bidding that follow JICA requirements.

“I hope that CC1 and CIENCO6, a joint venture, will strive to build quality roads to the standards that we have put in place. We have another independent technical adviser to follow up on that. In addition, the public works ministry will also monitor the quality of this road during construction,” he said.

According to Chanthol, the construction of the 35km stretch of National Road 5 from Sisophon to Poipet town is projected to cost around $50 million and take 32 months to complete.

Le Huu Viet Duc, representative of the joint venture, said at the signing ceremony that CC1 and CIENCO6 both hoped that this project would be the first of many construction contracts they undertook in Cambodia and that it would contribute to the development of infrastructure here.

“Through this project, we will have the opportunity to tighten the relations between our neighbouring countries of Vietnam and Cambodia,” he said.