PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) has instructed construction companies to speed up the construction of roads in the dry season, especially National Road No. 48 in coastal areas with frequent rains.

During the meeting of the Technical Working Group on National Road No. 48 on Thursday at the Ministry of Public Works, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Project Manager, So Vector, advised construction companies to take advantage of the opportunity in the dry season this year to accelerate construction work because the geographical condition of National Road No. 48 is different from the geographical condition of other roads, and this section of the road is located in the coastal area with heavy rainfall making construction work difficult.

He also urged the road construction companies to comply with the technical standards and load books, in particular, based on two priorities: road construction, quality, durability and completion of the project as planned.

He set a goal for construction companies to speed up their work by 15 percent by the end of May 2022 to ensure that construction is completed on time with high quality.

National Road No. 48 connects Preah Sihanouk Province to Koh Kong Province with a length of 148 km, and starts construction from the intersection with National Road No. 4 at km 141 + 750 in O'Chrov Village, Boeung Preav Commune, Sre Ambel District to Khemarak Phoumin City, Koh Kong Province. The 32-month construction project is scheduled to be completed in June 2024 by the Korean consortium, with a total budget of US $65.14 million, under a concessional loan from the Government of the Republic of Korea with a contribution from the Royal Government of Cambodia for impact and unexploded ordnance work.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, the 2022 rainy season in the lowlands and coastal areas may begin in the first week of May.