Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Toll expressway route unveiled

Toll expressway route unveiled

People look at a projected map of proposed expressway development sites in Cambodia yesterday during a presentation at the Phnom Penh Hotel.
People look at a projected map of proposed expressway development sites in Cambodia yesterday during a presentation at the Phnom Penh Hotel. Hong Menea

Toll expressway route unveiled

The Kingdom has settled on a route for a planned $2.5 billion high-speed toll road from Phnom Penh to the Vietnamese border in Bavet, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency revealed in a seminar yesterday.

The preferred route will go through Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces, connecting them to the capital. According to the ministry, this route has the highest development potential and would serve areas farther away from National Road 1 that have a greater need for a road. The Cambodian government made the decision in October.

“The high speed road is . . . expected to contribute much for the economic and social sectors in Cambodia and neighbouring countries,” Kumamaru Yuji, the Japanese ambassador to Cambodia, said at the seminar.

JICA first announced plans for the road in April 2014.

The government must still create a Cambodian expressway authority, settle on a detailed design, tender contracts and create a construction fund.

The size of the government’s expected contribution wasn’t immediately available.

According to Tram Iv Tek, minister of public works and transportation, the project is aimed for completion in 2033.

The new road is expected to cut travel time from Phnom Penh to Bavet from three to five hours by the current road to just two hours via the expressway.

Not including tolls, the expressway will have significantly lower trucking fees – $200 to $230 per container as opposed to $350 to $400 on the national road.

According to JICA, the expressway will tie into a master plan to link Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City with a travel time of only two and a half hours.

JICA has already confirmed the intention and willingness of Vietnam to construct an expressway from Ho Chi Minh to the Vietnamese side of the Bavet border.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • Manet touches down in Beijing for high-level meetings

    Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on September 14 for his first official visit to China, where he is slated to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and meet other leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Upon his arrival, Manet laid a wreath at the Monument

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former