Cambodian road set for boom<\/p>\n
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (Reuter): The treacherous potholes are
\ngone and the once-vital link between Cambodia's capital and its
\ndeep sea port looks set for a revival.<\/p>\n
Contractors are putting the finishing touches to a $30 million
\nU.S.-funded repair job on the battered and broken highway linking
\nPhnom Penh with this port city.<\/p>\n
\"There were sections where pavement was completely gone and
\nthe road was almost impassable with treacherous potholes. There
\nwere bridges which were totally out, where spans were down,\" said
\nNorman Loeffler, project manager with the U.S. Agency for
\nInternational Development (USAID) which sponsored the project.<\/p>\n
Passenger and trade traffic is expected to swell because of
\nthe repair project, which began in late 1994.<\/p>\n
\"This is the lifeline for Sihanoukville as well as Phnom Penh
\nbecause Sihanoukville is a port city,\" Sihanoukville Governor
\nThoam Bun Sron said.<\/p>\n
The governor said good communications links were crucial if
\nthe port and area were to develop both as a tourist destination
\nand as an industrial zone serving the rest of the country.<\/p>\n
He stressed this infrastructure was vital for attracting
\noverseas funds, saying foreign investors \"look into road and
\nrailway links and how Sihanoukville is linked to the capital city
\nto see how their goods can be transported.\"<\/p>\n
Contractors have resurfaced 211 km (132 miles) of road with a
\nhigh quality asphalt-concrete mix and are close to restoring the
\nhighway to the shape it was in when opened in 1959 with funding
\nfrom the U.S. Eisenhower administration.<\/p>\n
Thoam Bun Sron, in an interview with Reuters during a recent
\nvisit here, said the improvements along Highway Four were already
\npaying dividends with more tourist arrivals, but he was unable to
\nprovide exact figures.<\/p>\n
Loeffler said the extensive repair work had ensured that Phnom
\nPenh and Sihanoukville were linked by one of the only \"high-
\nquality national routes in Cambodia\".<\/p>\n
He said work on all but one bridge was finished by the end of
\nMay. Nine of 39 bridges needed major surgery, including five that
\nwere rebuilt, while the remaining 30 required only minor repairs,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"Now the road has a seven metres (23 feet) width with pavement
\nand the shoulders are 1.5 to two metres (five to 6.5 feet) wide,\"
\nLeoffler told Reuters.<\/p>\n
The cash-strapped Cambodian government has welcomed the
\nrehabilitation as a major contribution to its nationwide
\nreconstruction plan after more than two decades of strife.<\/p>\n
\"Road number four is a very vital road. Cambodia has two main
\nports, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh, but the port in
\nSihanoukville is more strategic because in Phnom Penh we rely on
\nthe Mekong River which goes through another country,\" said Public
\nWorks and Transport Secretary of State Tram Iv Tek.<\/p>\n
\"It's an important economic artery for Cambodia and when the
\neconomy has developed more there will be more exports, which need
\nto be transported to the seaport.\"<\/p>\n
Pwee Kong Teck, director of the Cambodia Brewery Ltd, which
\nproduces Angkor beer in the southern port city, said road
\nrehabilitation had helped his company's business.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cambodian-road-set-for-boom-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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