A third expressway connecting Phnom Penh and Siem Reap province is being mooted, with four companies expressing interest with the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation to carry out construction.

On Tuesday, during the Electric Vehicle Charging Station and Handover Ceremony of Electric Vehicles at the Office of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Minister Sun Chanthol said the new expressway from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap province will be constructed in the near future.

Chanthol mentioned that besides the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh-Bavet expressways, a third one is being considered and four companies have requested to study construction of the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap expressway.

“I would like to clarify that there are four companies requesting to study [the project of building the PP-SR expressway], but the result has not been provided to the Ministry yet. However, I still believe that there will be an expressway from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap,” he said.

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Regarding Cambodia’s infrastructures, the first $2 billion Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway at 190 km was funded by China Road Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and was officially inaugurated in November.

The second Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway, stretching 138 km and helping to connect Cambodia to the Vietnamese border is predicted to cost $1,638 million. It is currently in the planning process, with construction slated to start in 2023 by the same Chinese company (CRBC).

Now, a third expressway from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap province is under consideration. It is 231 km from between the two cities and currently takes about five to six hours by bus or car.