Cambodia’s transportation infrastructure has been undergoing a major transformation in recent years. The country’s first expressway, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, was completed in July 2022 and has been operational since October 2022. The expressway spans five provinces, starting at the third ring road in Phnom Penh City and ending in Sihanoukville Province. Its total length is 187.05 kilometers with a two-way 4-lane system, each lane being 3.75 meters wide. The running speed limit for the expressway is between 80 to 120 kilometers per hour.
The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway is funded by the China Road and Bridge Corporation for US$2 billion under a build-operate-transfer contract. It has two lanes in each direction and a speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph) for light vehicles, 100 km/h (62 mph) for two axle trucks, buses and motorcycles and 80 km/h (50 mph) for shipping containers truck with a minimum speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) for all vehicles. This will allow the travel time between the two terminal cities to be halved from 6 hours. The road was opened to the public starting on October 1, 2022, until October 31, 2022, under a one-month trial free of charge.
The second expressway, the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway, is being studied and planned by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, and expected to start construction in June 2023 3. The expressway will have a length of 138 kilometers, with width of 25.5 meters, consist of 4 lanes (2 lanes a side). Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway is expected to booster the transportation and import-export between Cambodia and Vietnam and reduce the transportation cost and time between the two countries. On June 7, 2023, Samdech Hun Sen officially announced and presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway with the length of 135.10 km. The expressway’s construction is set to be carried out by the esteemed China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), adhering to a 48-month timeline and scheduled for completion in 2027.
The Cambodian government has noted three goals for developing an expressway network: regional integration with neighboring countries; linking Phnom Penh with other cities to let other provinces benefit from development; improving transportation in Cambodia, reducing congestion and allowing more suitable roads for heavy trucks. The development of Cambodia’s expressway network is expected to boost economic growth by improving transportation efficiency and reducing logistics costs.
