A Third Cambodian Expressway Feasibility Study Ordered

Following on from the success and associated economic and tourism benefits of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville (PPSHV) Expressway which has since been followed up by the confirmation of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway, Senior Minister Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works, has ordered a feasibility study for the construction of Phnom Penh-Siem Reap Expressway.

Phnom Penh-Siem Reap Expressway

Four companies are studying the construction of the newly announced Phnom Penh-Siem Reap Expressway and the benefits of reducing the travel time for logistics and tourism between the most visited tourist destination and the Kingdom and the capital would be highly beneficial.

Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville (PPSHV) Expressway

The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville (PPSHV) Expressway took three years to complete at a cost of $2 billion dollars and it's intended to add a significant boost to economic growth and tourism development - travelling by road from the capital or to Sihakoukville is now possible in a couple of hours down from anything between 4-6 hours previously. For logistics and commerce, container trucks would take 1-2 days to travel between the two economic hubs but now travel two or three times per day suggested one report. The expressway is the biggest single project completed under the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation between Cambodia and China. Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville (PPSHV) Expressway

Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway

The Public-Private Partnership Contract (PPP) for the 138-kilometre Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project is estimated to cost $1.63 billion and get underway in mid-2023. Although it's been announced to go ahead, the signing between the government and the private developer, China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC), will only be held in early 2023. The time lag is required for all parties to finalise the clauses of the contract - but it also means there could be delays, and with global financial and economic uncertainties in some sectors, it's not clear when the project will get underway. Chanthol said, “The government shall be in charge of financing the construction of the Mekong River-crossing Bridge, while the private company shall be in charge of the investment in the construction of roads and other infrastructures. The government has chosen this scenario of this investment to help people travel across the river through the bridge without any additional spending." The Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway would primarily help speed up the time it takes to transport goods and reduce the costs from Thailand to Cambodia and from Cambodia to Vietnam.