PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) has announced that the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway will open and be free-of-charge in the month of October. From November 2022 onwards, the regular charges will apply.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday morning, 21 September, the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Senior Minister Sun Chanthol, said that the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway will be open to the public for free in the month of October, and the fee to use the expressway will only begin from 1 November 2022.

He stated that due to the expressway’s high construction cost and the small number of vehicles in Cambodia, the cost of using the expressway will be higher than in other countries, where such expressway’s typically charge around 8 cents per kilometer. The average price of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway will be between 10 to 12 cents per kilometer instead.

He said that to maintain order on the road, he would ask Interior Minister, DPM Sar Kheng, to instruct local authorities to inform people living in the area to not remove the fences that keep cattle from freely roaming outside and potentially causing danger while crossing the road, to release a PSA that informs drivers on how to use the freeway safely, and to deploy 18 police officers to patrol the expressway 24 hours a day.

For traffic safety, the Senior Minister said there are speeding cameras installed on the expressway, which automatically take pictures of vehicles that do not abide by the set speed limit, and issue fines accordingly. Drivers using the expressway must drive within the speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour.

Finally, Senior Minister Sun Chanthol also urged all future users of the expressway to abide by the law and follow traffic safety precautions properly.

He stated that heavy trucks must always drive on the right side of the road, must be driving at a speed of at least 60 kilometers per hour and must carefully check the vehicles passing by before turning.