Gov’t Changes NR10 Alignment to Reduce Environmental Impacts; US$60m More to be Added

• 27 January 2022
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The Ministry of Public Works and Transports (MPWT) will change the alignment of NR10 Koh Kong-Battambang to preserve the forest and environment, by repositioning from building the road through the middle of the Cardamom Mountain to a new detour route around the forest zone.

MPWT Minister HE Sun Chanthol said during the 2021 Work Progress Review Conference on Thursday 27 January that with this new alignment, at least another US$60 million will be added to the budget.

“We have been working with the Ministry of the Environment and the construction firms. We agreed to change alignment to help save the wildlife and environment. We have already submitted the new alignment proposal to Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen for approval,” said HE Sun Chanthol.

“We don’t have to add the US$60 million to change the alignment. However, we decided to it to show the world that Cambodia also cares about the environment. It is our big gesture to the international stage that Cambodia also embraces sustainable development,” he added.

By the end of 2021, construction of the 198km NR10 connecting Samlot district in Battambang province to Veal Veng district in Pursat and to Koh Kong province has been approximately 55% completed and is on track for full completion in late 2023. (Read more)

The project is costing US$188 million, which is a mixture of a Chinese loan and Cambodian government budget.

With ground broken in March 2020, NR10 is an important artery of Cambodia’s national economy, helping connect the Khmer-Thai border to the deep seaport in Sihanoukville through Battambang and Koh Kong.

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