A $117 Million Economic Lifeline: Prime Minister Hun Manet Inaugurates Newly Expanded National Road 7

• Proeksa Meas
• 12 July 2026
• Construction Focus
• 1275 Views

The newly upgraded 4-lane highway connecting Skun and Kampong Cham town is projected to deliver a 15.27% economic return, slashing travel times and boosting agricultural trade…

In a major boost to Cambodia’s internal logistics network, a vital 45.489-kilometer section of National Road 7 connecting the Skun roundabout to the Kizuna Bridge roundabout in Kampong Cham town was officially inaugurated. The $117 million infrastructure project commenced full public operations following a high-profile ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet.

During the ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Manet characterized the upgraded stretch of highway as a crucial economic artery and a high-potential lifeline for regional development. At its western terminus, the highway intersects directly with National Road 6 at the Skun regional hub, creating a seamless high-capacity transit corridor that links the capital, Phnom Penh, to key northern and northwestern agricultural and tourism centers, including Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces. The total overhaul has successfully transformed the older, congested route into a highly durable, widened transit asset engineered to facilitate rapid economic integration.

Local logistics and trade dynamics are poised for immediate improvement, with economists forecasting that the modernized corridor will yield an estimated 15.27% economic internal rate of return. This measurable benefit will flow directly to local communities and small business owners through substantial fuel savings, reduced vehicular wear-and-tear, and drastically shortened commuting times. More importantly, the expansion eliminates historic bottlenecks for transport fleets moving heavy yields of local agricultural and agro-industrial commodities out to domestic markets and international borders.

Built to handle intensive heavy-vehicle traffic, the reconstructed highway features a highly robust engineering profile. The structural footprint features a foundational base of reinforced concrete measuring 26 centimeters in thickness, topped with a 9-centimeter layer of high-grade Asphalt Concrete (AC). Expanded from its original configuration to a spacious four-lane highway, the project successfully wrapped up its 27-month construction timeline on June 15, 2026.

The financial framework behind the development represents a successful blend of international development cooperation and state budget deployment. Funding was secured via a concessional loan provided by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, which was supplemented by counterpart capital allocated directly from the national budget of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

On average, the comprehensive reconstruction required an investment of approximately $2.57 million per kilometer. This capital efficiency aligns closely with the cost metrics seen across other landmark Cambodian transit developments, such as the final 35.14-kilometer Serei Sophorn-Poipet segment of National Road 5 (read more) and the extensive 330-kilometer Prek Kdam-Thlea Ma’am-Battambang-Serei Sophorn expansion of National Road 5 (read more). By matching these benchmark industrial standards, the National Road 7 expansion marks another successful milestone in the state’s multi-billion-dollar push to establish a fully integrated, highly competitive national transport framework. (read more)

• Projects Development
• road and bridge
• National Road 7
• concrete road