The Preah Sihanouk provincial administration has announced that it will temporarily close Sihanoukville’s Street 146C, which connects National Road 4 at the provincial Military Police headquarters with Otres beach on Thursday, as it has been badly damaged by heavy vehicles during the rainy season.

The Post received conflicting reports as to how long the repairs would take, ranging from four days to possibly more than two weeks.

The provincial administration’s statement, which was obtained by The Post on Wednesday, said several Sihanoukville streets have been badly damaged by flooding and vehicles exceeding the maximum permitted weight.

Street 146C, a ring road in the city, has been particularly hard hit and requires immediate repair, the statement said.

“In order to facilitate smooth and quick repairs of street 146C, Preah Sihanouk provincial administration must temporarily close it from June 20."

“After the street has been repaired, the Preah Sihanouk provincial administration will re-open it as normal. May the public be informed and choose to travel on other streets,” the statement said.

Residents in Sihanoukville endured heavy flooding this rainy season. Facebook

Provincial Hall spokesman Kheang Phearum said on Tuesday that Street 146C was built in 2014 with the intention of reducing traffic congestion in Sihanoukville.

He said the city was undergoing rapid development in many sectors – including construction, factories, hotels and restaurants – which required the constant shipping of construction supplies and food to local people and workers in the area.

Phearum said Sihanoukville has seen heavy rainfall this week, which has badly affected the city’s infrastructure, especially along Street 146C.

“The street has been about 70 per cent damaged and requires immediate repairs. In order to allow the work to be carried out, we need to temporarily close it to traffic,” he said.

Phearum said it would take about four or five days to complete the repairs if it didn’t rain or one week at the most.

However, the provincial Department of Public Works and Transport deputy director Chrea Tharavuth told The Post that because of the extent of the damage, it would take about two weeks – or longer if it rains.

“We need at least a week to excavate it and transport dirt to fill the holes. That doesn’t include covering it with gravel and flattening the surface,” he said.