National Road 3 linking Kampot to Preah Sihanouk has become a strip of deeply rutted red mud, a danger for residents and a headache for transport authorities who say the unstable ground likely cannot receive full repairs till 2024.
Around 20 km of the road between Kampot and Veal Rinh commune has become a “nightmare,” said local resident Him Phalla, 30.
It takes him an hour and a half every day to ride down the road to commute from his home in Bokor city, Kampot, to a bank in Veal Rinh, Preah Sihanouk.
“I’ve crashed my motorcycle several times as the road is too slippery to handle. Every minute that I’m on the road I have to be careful because an unexpected incident could happen anytime,” he said.
The problem has been ongoing for years, but not much has been done to deal with it, Phalla said. “This year, the road has become drastically damaged, almost 100%. So it takes so much time for people using this road to travel from one place to another.”
Ly Kimheang, a student who frequently travels along the road, said the situation kept getting worse in recent months as more holes appeared and the road became slipperier due to strong rains and the heavy trucks that continue to use the road.
“From what I can tell, authorities temporarily repair some parts of the road that are largely damaged. But it doesn’t last long because a few weeks later it surely turns into this terrible look again,” she said. “I never feel easy traveling on this road.”
Transport Minister Sun Chanthol earlier this year acknowledged that 20 km of National Road 3 was badly damaged, and the government was seeking financial support from the Chinese government — around $60-$70 million — to repair it.
Ministry spokesperson Pal Chandara said on Wednesday that the ministry had held a meeting just this morning to discuss further temporary repairs on the road until it can get financial support from the Chinese government.
“The ministry is now pushing to seek financial support from the Chinese government to repair the 20-km damaged portion of National Road 3 between Trapaing Ropov to Veal Rinh. Full repairs are supposed to start in 2024,” Chandara said.
“It might take a long time because we need a big budget and technical support in repairing the road in that area as the land easily falls out,” the spokesperson said.
