Cambodia says it hopes to have
road connectivity to Vietnam and Thailand by 2015. The connection would be part
of Asean integration, a process where Cambodia lags behind its neighbors. Six
countries of the Mekong River delta have worked toward linking by road since
1998, in an attempt to create three economic corridors. The “Southern Economic
Corridor,” funded mainly by the Asian Development Bank, would come of the
linkage of the three neighbors.
The project is “90 percent
complete,” Peng Sovicheano, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of
Transportation, said. By 2015, all roads will be connected. Cambodia has
received $680.5 million in aid from the ADB and other funders to build or
renovate roads across 22 provinces, linking it to Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Some
2,000 kilometers of roads have been built. More than half of that has been in
Cambodia. This will increase efficiency and reduce travel times, bolstering the
flow of investment and goods in the country. However, there is more to be done.
To make the region a true economic hub, more infrastructure must be in place,
including rail systems, clean water, electricity and other facilities. Chheang
Vannarith, a lecturer at the University of Leeds, in London, said road
connectivity in Cambodia is good, “but railway and water connectivity are still
an issue.” No railway connects Cambodia to Thailand or Vietnam.
And it remains expensive to
move goods. According to the ADB, to move a ton of goods 100 kilometers in
Cambodia costs between $9 and $13. It’s only about $6 for the same
transportation in Thailand and $7 in Vietnam. Experts say the road connection
can reduce this gap.
Source:
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/cambodia-aiming-for-road-connectivity-in-2015/1924443.html
