Greater Mekong Subregion

Cambodia Road Improvement Project (Loan 1945)

Overview

In November 2002, the ADB approved a loan of $50 million to Cambodia -- Loan 1945 -- from ADB's Special Fund resources for rehabilitation of parts in Cambodia of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) R1: Bangkok-Phnom Penh-Ho Chi Minh City-Vung Tau Road Improvement Project, which is a core road infrastructure element of the GMS Southern Economic Corridor.

The objectives of the ADB loan are to:

• promote national and subregional economic growth by reducing the cost and increasing the reliability of transport, which will also encourage the fast-growing tourism industry and subregional trade, and promote general economic growth
• reduce poverty by providing all-year, all-weather access to employment opportunities, markets, and growth centers
• improve social conditions by providing all-year, all-weather access to education and health
• promote private sector participation and strengthen the domestic road-contracting industry by providing opportunities in road construction and maintenance
• work with an experienced nongovernment organization under the national HIV/AIDS framework to support efforts to control the disease and create awareness of it
• initiate a process of reform for the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport, particularly for the road sector in which asset management and transparency must be a guiding theme
• establish effective road maintenance management and road maintenance financing systems

The Project covers three components:

• Rehabilitation of national road (NR) 5 and NR6, and reconstruction of 45 bridges
• Reconstruction of about 50 bridges on the northern loop of NR56 and NR68
• Initiation of a process of reform for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport

An associated activity has been developed under the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to mainstream pro-poor appropriate technological solutions for roadworks in Cambodia.

Rehabilitation of NR5 and NR6, and reconstruction of 45 bridges

The project will rehabilitate NR5 and NR6, and reconstruct about 45 bridges between Siem Reap and Poipet, thus:

• completing a critical missing link in GMS R1: Bangkok-Phnom Penh-Ho Chi Minh City-Vung Tau Road Improvement Project
• establishing direct highway connection between Thailand and the rapidly developing tourism center in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
• providing access to northwestern Cambodia by completing the primary road network around Tonle Sap

Reconstruction of about 50 bridges on the northern loop of NR56 and NR68

The project will reconstruct about 50 bridges on approximately 200 kilometers of the northern loop of NR56 and NR68, linking the towns of Svey Chek, Thmar Puok, and Samrong to the national road network, and providing access to large rural areas in the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, and parts of Siem Reap province.

Project Cost and Financing ($ million)

Status

Ongoing.

For detailed information on project status, email:

gms@adb.org