Route 5 Work Expected to Aid Commerce, Bolster Tourism

As the reconstruction of Nat­ional Route 5 proceeds, residents of the area say they don’t mind the blinding dust churned up by the road work.

They say the work has the potential to transform a crumbling, rutted track into a smooth highway, bringing tourists and trade. The road connects Phnom Penh to the Thai border in Ban­teay Meanchey province.

“For 20 years, I have seen this road deteriorate,” said Phall Vy, whose Battambang province business transports corn from the northwestern provinces to Phnom Penh. The road’s condition is a headache for her—it makes transporting goods slow and expensive.

“I can’t wait to see this road without dust and holes,” she said.

Um Pheak, a villager living along the road in Pursat, hopes to sell more fruit from his roadside stall once the improvements are completed. He also hopes to smell better.

“Sleeping in my house is like living on the road,” he said. “When cars and trucks drive past, the dust completely fills the house. I never have a good smell, and I am worried I will get lung disease.”

Chhin Kong Hean, director general of public works and transport, envisions traffic streaming smoothly down the road once it is completed, bringing goods to and from Phnom Penh and allowing visitors to explore the country’s northwest.

The road is scheduled to be completed in December 2003, but Chhin Kong Hean said the work is proceeding rapidly and should be completed ahead of time.

“We want to do our best for the people,” he said. “We want to finish it early to fulfill people’s needs and bring tourists to Cambodia.”

The poor quality of Cambodia’s roads has earned an international reputation, creating problems for the tourist industry here, Thong Khon said. Most tourists tend to fly rather than use the roads.

“When the road is good, we expect a 25 [percent] to 30 percent increase in tourists,” he said.

“More tourists will come by bus and taxi from Thailand.”

 

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