New Road From Battambang to Thai Border Aims to Bo

• 31 December 2015
• Local News
• 1306 Views

A new road stretching 176 kilometers has been inaugurated linking the province of Battambang to the Thai border. It is hoped that the road will transform a region marked by war and conflict into one better known for vibrant development and economic activity.

National Road 57B was officially opened to traffic on March 10 after three years of construction. Worth US$90 million and paid for with the help of a loan from the Chinese government, the road will strengthen the region’s infrastructure and link three national roads together.

The new road has three segments: a 90-kilometer stretch runs from Thmor Kol to Bovel and Sampeo Loun; another 69 kilometers passes from Bovel to Village 30 in Phnom Proek; and 16 kilometers cross from Village 30 to Kam Rieng, O Da on the Thai Border. Road 57B together with road 57, which runs through Battambang and Pailin provinces, as well as Road 59, from Koan Damrey through Malai to Pailin, will now form an infrastructure triangle in the Kingdom’s sparsely developed northwest.

“With Road 57B, the three roads will be linked and help develop the region,” said Prime Minister Hun Sen at the inauguration.

The road is part of a strategic plan to upgrade road transport links along the country’s western border to boost transportation, trade and tourism. It is also one of the government’s efforts to facilitate the flow of goods, people and business within the region to stay competitive with other ASEAN nations, Hun Sen added.

The additional 176 kilometers of Road 57B, along the road networks at the southern part of National Road 5 in Battambang, National Road 6 in Banteay Meanchey and the road network in Pailin, brings the total of new road infrastructure in the region to 423 kilometers, all built with loans from China.

The government has said it will add two more roads, which will bring the regional total to 600 km. The additional roads are National Road 55, made up of 182 kilometers of motorway connecting Pursat Town to the district of O Da, and National Road 58, which will start at National Road 6 at Serei Sophoan City and end in Oddar Meanchey province.

According to the prime minister, the government is also seeking a loan from China to build NR 55, while NR 58 will be built later with help from the Asian Development Bank and South Korea.

The NR 57B project was part of a strategic partnership between Cambodian and China signed by the leaders of both nations in 2012. During H.E. Xi Jinping’s visit to Cambodia that year, both countries agreed on various projects with a total price tag of about US$500 million.

Starting from that year on, Cambodia’s annual proposed projects for the Chinese government to consider either in grants, non-interest-bearing and concessional loans, ranges between US$500 and US$700 million.

In April alone, the government and Chinese government jointly inaugurated three large projects: the Atai hydropower dam, the Cambodian-Chinese Friendship Bridge at Ta Khmao and the Cambodian-Chinese Friendship Bridge at Chroy Changvar.

Aside from those, the Cambodian-Chinese Friendship Bridge at Stueng Treng and a number of new roads backed by Chinese government are also under construction.