The Phnom Penh Municipal Hall is studying the possibility of building three new underground roadways in the capital to ease traffic congestion.
Its spokesman Met Meas Pheakdey said one of the roads would link PH ECO Mall to National Road 1 in Chbar Ampov district’s Nirouth commune.
He said the municipal administration and real estate developer Borey Peng Huoth have already agreed on the project.
The second planned road is near the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) along Russian Federation Boulevard and the third is near Two Deer Park and the Ministry of National Defence.
Meas Pheakdey said on Wednesday that municipal specialists are busy studying the potential impacts of the roads and estimating costs.
“This project is still in the studying stage. We want to know exactly how to build the roads to ease congestion. We must design clean layouts and budgets efficiently.
“Especially underground, aren’t there big water hoses and cables buried beneath the ground? And if there are those things, how can we avoid them? So, we are studying all the problems,” Meas Pheakdey said.
He further said when the studies are completed, specialists can begin estimating costs, buying materials and establishing timeframes.
A project development company also needs to be found to complete the jobs.
Prampi Makara district governor Lim Sophea and Chbar Ampov district governor Cheng Monyra could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Information’s website on Wednesday quoted Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng as saying that the three roads will help ease traffic congestion, which is something that has been requested by the people.
He also confirmed that he requested Borey Peng Huoth to build an underground road via its gated community, The Star Platinum, to National Road 1 to ease congestion and make it easier for the community’s residents to travel to and from the city.
Institute for Road Safety director Kong Ratanak said on Wednesday that he supported all road projects including subways, airways, railways and other roads to ease traffic congestion.
He said that drivers can help ease congestion as well by strictly obeying traffic laws.
“I support building such roads. They can help ease traffic congestions. However, we must still obey the law. If we obey the law and build good roads, traffic will look much better in our country,” he said.
