The Battambang-Banteay Meanchey highway segment has been completed
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has announced the completion of improvements and expansions to a portion of National Road 5, a branch of Asian Highway 1, that connects Battambang town to the Banteay Meanchey provincial capital of Sisophon.
According to Ministry of State Secretary of State Toch Chan Kosal, the 84.74km stretch of the highway, which is part of the Asian Highway Network’s longest route connecting Cambodia to Thailand, Myanmar, and China, was spruced up and widened for $160.6 million.
During a ceremony marking the milestone on September 23, Chan Kosal stated that the road, which began improvements in March 2018, now has four lanes and a width of 23m.
In Battambang, the project included 46.3 kilometers of road, a 23.92-kilometer detour through town with royal Poincianas (Delonix regia) planted on either side and a 22.35-kilometer portion of National Road 5 with a middle strip bordered with Thai crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia floribunda).
Any development by individuals is prohibited from the private property boundary up to the road shoulder because it would detract from the road’s beauty. 6000 royal Poinciana trees have been planted in total. According to him, the government has already purchased land along the road from residents and planted trees to beautify the route.
He warned that the provincial authorities would take action against anyone who caused road damage.
According to the provincial government, this section of the national road was built in sections by two construction companies: Tekken-Taiyo Joint Venture for 46.27km and Daiho-Asanuma Joint Venture for 38.47km.
KEI-OCG-KCI Joint Venture and KCEC & TANCONS were in charge of the technical aspects of the construction.
