Thailand earlier this month agreed to undertake improvements on National Route 67, which runs south from Anlong Veng town on the Thai border in Oddar Meanchey province to Siem Reap province.
A survey team from Thailand’s highway department will arrive in January to estimate the cost of widening and resurfacing the road, a job that should take about two and a half months, Siem Reap Deputy Director of Public Works and Transport Chan Tra said Tuesday. A cost assessment and the means of payment might be known by May, he said.
The survey team will have to consider land mine removal and the relocation of some houses, he added.
Ministry of Public Works and Transport Undersecretary of State Ouk Cham said Monday that the Thais will fix 140 km of road.
Anlong Veng, Pol Pot’s last resting place and former Khmer Rouge stronghold, has been considered for development as a tourist attraction, said Secretary of State for Tourism Thong Khon.
While the road’s main purpose is tourism development, Chan Tra said it could also facilitate trade in agricultural products between Thailand and the provinces of Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey.
Director General of Public Works Chhin Kong Hean on Friday compared the road improvement project to the reconstruction of National Route 48, which links the Thai border checkpoint in Koh Kong province to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
Thailand has spent about
$7 million on improvements to Route 48.
