The inter-ministry commission’s working group and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) conducted a technical meeting on the second expressway project, connecting Phnom Penh to Bavet city in Svay Rieng province.
The talk was held yesterday with working groups of the two sides, focusing on the technical aspects of the mega project, said Kong Vimean, cabinet director and spokesman at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
“Related to the agreement signing, the inter-ministry working groups are working and talking more details on the technical aspects and negotiation will be made after the technical level talks are over,” Vimean said.
The ministry and the CRBC, which built the first Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville expressway, have recently reached a memorandum of understanding on the project.
The ministry stated recently that the framework agreement on the Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway project is scheduled to be inked in November and the concession investment agreement before the end of this year.
“We are committed to processing the project as scheduled,” the spokesman said.
Its minister Sun Chanthol said in September that the break ground ceremony of the second expressway construction would take place in the middle of next year.
Stretching an estimated 135 km, the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway is designed to boost connectivity with Vietnam and spur economic ties between the two border provinces, with a special focus on export growth.
Starting from the capital’s third ring road, the expressway will pass through Kandal, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces, ending at Bavet town on the Cambodian-Vietnamese border.
In September, the government formed an inter-ministerial commission to accelerate the implementation of the expressway infrastructure project connecting Phnom Penh to Bavet city.
Chaired by Sun Chanthol, the commission is tasked to review and advice on the procedures, legal framework and overall view of the investment in the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway infrastructure project. It will promote the highway project expected to contribute to the development of the Phnom Penh Bavet city corridor.
Cambodia Logistics Association (CLA) president Sin Chanthy said the expressway will improve transportation sector efficiency.
“The expressway will contribute to the logistics sector and enhance efficiency in the transportation sector in Cambodia,” Chanthy told Khmer Times.
Currently, the Kingdom’s first $2-billion worth expressway, linking the capital and coastal seaport of Preah Sihanoukville, is put into trial use for a period of one month free of charge.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
