Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday criticised government officials in charge of the National Road 2 reconstruction.

He told them to work with the South Korean government as the project cost $56 million, most of which was borrowed from that government.

At a meeting with more than 20,000 garment workers from 20 factories in Takeo province’s Bati district, Hun Sen said he is unhappy with the delay in the reconstruction.

He ordered Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol and Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth to work closely with South Korean officials to speed up work on the national road.

“The condition of the road remains the same. Government officials have been negotiating for more than five years. I heard it is at the bidding stage. It needs to be pushed forward. It would not cost much money. Why it is so late?

“We need to develop and expand other national roads. National Road 3 has been expanded twice, from seven metres to 12 metres and from 12 metres to 20 metres. National Road 2 remains the same, which makes me very unhappy because reconstruction is very late,” he said.

Ministry of Public Works and Transport spokesman Vasim Sorya told The Post on Wednesday that the roadworks are late due to budget constraints as it costs more than the $13 million the government had borrowed from South Korea in 2014.

Sorya said his ministry had requested to borrow more from the South Korean government which has since agreed. The reconstruction of National Road 2 will start at the beginning of next year, he said.

“We will open bidding proposals by construction companies on December 3 and quicken other processes to start work in January next year,” he said.

The reconstruction proposal involves 57km and runs from the Takhmao city roundabout in Kandal province to the O’Chambak Takeo Detour Circle, about 3km west of Takeo province’s Independence Monument roundabout.

The proposal also includes 9km of National Road 22. The whole proposal will cost $56 million.

The Cambodian government will finance $8 million with the rest being funded by loans from the South Korean government.

The proposal calls for the road to be paved with rubberised asphalt concrete. New bridges will be built and the road’s width will be expanded to 13 metres.

An 8km-long road heading south from the Kuo Srov roundabout and 5km south of the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre will be reconstructed in four phases.