- 80 percent of Cambodia's highways and half of the capital's streets are in major
need of repair according to the Ministry of Public Works.
- Nearly 80 percent of the country's 4,000 major bridges have been seriously damaged
in the past two decades.
- The government's main transport priority is to rebuild a 291km stretch of Highway
Five between Phnom Penh and Battambang province as a link to the Thai border.
- Another government priority is to improve the first 30km of main roads leading
from the capital.
- Cambodia's principle road network consists of approximately 3,500km of national
roads linking Phnom Penh to various provinces, and about 2,550km of sub-roads.
- There are approximately 649km of operational railway line in Cambodia.
- Most major roads constructed to international standards were laid since the 1960s.
Today, the majority are not suitable for heavy vehicles or large traffic volume.
- The Secretary of State at the Ministry of Public Works, Mr Tram Iv Tek, says
his department's budget is insufficient to carry out primary tasks.
- Between 1990-93 the State released only $550,000 annually to repair roads and
bridges.
- The Ministry of Public Works operates 230 obsolete Soviet vehicles.
- The UN Development Program (UNDP) is spending $6.3m to improve Cambodia's infrastructure.
- Since 1992, UNDP has been responsible for maintaining repairs along Highway Five.
About 204km has been covered with gravel as a temporary measure.
- UNDP is spending $2.5 million to replace six bridges totaling 334 meters.
- Officially, Highway Five is safe for vehicles to travel 100 kph.
- The Asian Development Bank has given Cambodia a soft loan of $32.5 million to
help improve road and rail links and port facilities.
- The US government has signed an exchange note with Cambodia to cover the repair
of Highway Four from Phnom Penh to Kompong Som to the value of $24 million. The road,
already regarded as the best in the country, was originally built in 1950 by United
States grant aid.
- The Japanese government is spending approximately $37.5 million rebuilding Phnom
Penh's Chroy Changvar bridge. Additional funds have been allocated to lay asphalt
along the first 45km of Highway Six from the bridge.
- France has donated $3 million for a "road laboratory" to test materials
and repair railway locomotives.
- UNTAC engineering teams from Japan, China, Thailand and The Netherlands repaired
324km of Highways Two, Five and Six and 517 meters of bridges.
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