Phnom Penh-Preah Sihanouk expressway on track

A proposed expressway from Phnom Penh to the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk is due to be constructed by the end of this year. The 190km road—to be constructed on a build, operate, and transfer basis by the China Communications Construction Company in a contract worth nearly $2bn—is aimed at contributing to the industrial development of the province, which the government sees as an industrial development zone. The road development is part of the government’s expressway master plan, which estimates that the country will need 850km of expressways by 2020 at a cost of $9bn. Under the master plan, the first road to Preah Sihanouk province will be the result of investment by a Chinese company. A second road, 213km long from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, will be an official development assistance project from Japan. Both will have four lanes and each kilometer is estimated to cost about $10mn. (Source: Khmer Times)