Two more key roads connecting Phnom Penh to the southwestern economic pole will be reconstructed and upgraded under China’s assistance.
The two roads include the over-53-kilometre-long National Road (NR) No. 31 from Bek Kus (intersection of NR3) to Kampong Trach district town (junction of NR33) and the over-52-kilometre-long NR33 from Kampot provincial city (intersection of NR3) to Lork (Cambodia-Vietnam border).
The groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation and improvement of the two roads was held in Tek Chhou district, Kampot province this morning under the presidency of Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia H.E. Wang Wentian.
According to Senior Minister H.E. Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works and Transport, conducted by China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC) and technically inspected by Guangzhou Wanan Technical Consulting Co., the reconstruction and upgrading of both roads are scheduled to take 40 months until 2026, at a total estimated cost of more than US$120 million, using a concessional loan from China and a budget of the Royal Government.
H.E. Senior Minister highlights the potential and significance of NR31 and NR33, saying that once the reconstruction completed, the two roads will contribute to the connection between Phnom Penh capital and the provinces of Takeo, Kampot, Kep and Preah Sihanouk.
The two NRs will also greatly benefit the national economy and household economy through better movement of people and all kinds of transport, boosting trade, investment and tourism, he added.
