By APD writer Kin Ratha

PHNOM PENH, Jan.28 (APD) -- Chinese ambassador said to Cambodia Mr.Wang Wentian last Friday that the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway project will break the ground in March in an effort to speed up the construction in order to serve the country’s development.

Mr.Wang Wentian said at the press conference on last Friday that building the expressway with assistance from China is one of the project of the China-backed Road and Belt Initiative.

“Based on scheduled, the construction will starts soon in March this year,” Mr Wang said. “This project is important for Cambodia to connect the country’s capital to the deep seaport in Preah Sihanouk.”

The materials of construction are funded from China, Mr Wang said.

The construction costs estimated at $1.9 billion. The expressway will stretch over 190 kilometers – shorter than the current road, which runs for 240 kilometers. It will have four lanes for the majority of its run and will take four years to complete.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia said in early of the month that, the construction materials will be shipped to Cambodia from China within this month while Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Ministry of Economy and Finance are working to deal the remaining compensation along the designed expressway and the compensation is estimated about $150 to $200 million will be used for compensation

The expressway project is set to be built on a build-operate-transfer basis by state-owned Chinese Communication Construction Company Ltd.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)