PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Senior Minister Sun Chanthol, has said that the construction of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway is 90.95% complete, and the expressway will be ready for trial use in July 2022. He added that it will be officially inaugurated in the future at an appropriate time under the presidency of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Senior Minister Sun Chanthol added that this new expressway will contribute to the growth of both Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville as economic poles, by making travel between the two cities faster than usual, reducing costs and travel time, and also the number of traffic accidents occurring on National Road No. 4. He further added that the Royal Government is currently studying the master plan to make Sihanoukville a multi-purpose special economic zone, and this expressway will help to serve this master plan by attracting more national and international investors.
The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway is 187.05 km long, and began construction on 22 March 2019. As of Tuesday, 26 April 2022, the expressway is undergoing the last stages of completion and construction is scheduled to officially end on 31 May 2023. This new road connects Village 1, Samrong Krom commune, Por Senchey district in Phnom Penh to Village 1, District 3 in Sihanoukville.
The expressway is built by PPSHV Expressway Co., Ltd and a subsidiary of China Road Bridge Corporation (CRBC), with technical inspection done by MINCONSULT SDN. BHD. The total construction time is 48 months, with a total cost over $2 billion USD. The expressway will have four lanes, with a total width of 24.5 meters, seven intersections, three rest areas, one parking lot, four operation and maintenance centers, 40 main and medium bridges and five small bridges, which all pass through about eight km of Phnom Penh and the four provinces of Kandal (9.1 km), Kampong Speu (80.8 km), Koh Kong, (1.92 km) and Preah Sihanouk (89.89 km).
The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway Project is the first expressway project in Cambodia, making it the most important strategic corridor project in the Kingdom. The expressway will greatly reduce the travel time from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville Port from five hours to just two hours, which will help to also reduce logistical costs.
