A senior Ministry of Public Works and Transport official has called on people to stop driving on the Phnom Penh-Preah Sihanouk Expressway before it is officially inaugurated because the construction of the road is still underway, meaning there are serious risks to drivers.
Ministry spokesman Heang Sotheayuth told The Post on May 31 that construction of the expressway was now 92 per cent complete. The construction team was working hard to make sure that the road would be completed ahead of schedule, so people will be able to try it out this year.
“I call on the public to cooperate with us. The road will surely be used. We also plan to ask permission to make sure that people can try it out free of charge,” he said. “I ask that people wait until the expressway is officially inaugurated. Construction will be complete soon, maybe in the third quarter of this year.”
He added that the road construction team was adding more barriers and carrying out inspections of overpasses and intersections, which are the most difficult parts of road construction.
“We have not yet allowed public traffic on this road without special permission or in certain circumstances that require it,” he said. “Because the road is still under construction, it can be very dangerous. Some places do not have barriers yet. Some places still have construction workers crossing from left to right. This is why we have not allowed it to be used by the public.”
Sotheayuth said that in the past, the road had been used in necessary cases or with special permission, such as when international delegates had travelled along it.
“We do not allow this road to be used. If an accident happens, the driver would be responsible for it,” he warned.
A guard on the expressway who asked not to be named said that although there were many barriers, some people still asked to use the road.
“Because there are always people driving on this road, accidents kill people every day here,” he said.
Ren Run, a local resident, said that after recently hearing the news that the expressway was allowed to be used – and seeing photos on social media of people using the road – he was returning from Preah Sihanouk province and asked an official if he could drive on it.
“When I first drove on the road, a guard prohibited me from entering. But we kept on asking and paid some money to drive on it. The guard told me not to come on this road again without permission,” he said.
According to the ministry, the construction of the expressway network is expected to be the biggest factor in strengthening the capacity of Cambodia’s road network, because the expressway will provide better transportation services than normal roads. The expressway is considered the basis for modern industry and heavy transport activities as well.
The financing agreement for the expressway was signed on January 11, 2018, in the presence of Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
