The Cambodia-South Korea Friendship Bridge to Be Built in Mid-2023
A visualization of the the Cambodia-South Korea Friendship Bridge. Photo: Phnom Penh department of Public Works and Transport
- By Meng Seavmey
- December 10, 2022 7:04 PM
PHNOM PENH – The construction of the Cambodia-South Korea Friendship Bridge is due to start in the second half of 2023 as Cambodian officials from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport are set to meet with their South Korean counterparts in early 2023 to discuss the project, ministry spokesperson Heang Sotheayuth said on Dec. 10.
Many points must be discussed before construction can start, including the selection of the companies that will work on the project, he said. But this should be handled during the first part of the year so that work can begin in mid-2023, he added.
The agreement for the construction of the bridge funded by South Korea was signed on Dec. 9 by the Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth and Minnie Chey, country director of the Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).
The project will consist of building the bridge in two sections across the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap river in Kandal province, with one section going from the Night Market Park to the Chroy Changva peninsula and the other across the Mekong River to the Arey Ksat area.
Costing more around $245 million, the bridge is expected to take 47 months to complete, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
This cable-stayed bridge will be built with four lanes with a width of 27.5 meters. The maximum speed to drive across the bridge will be 80 km per hour.
The Friendship Bridge project was the second of two agreements signed by Cambodia and South Korea as part of the Framework Arrangement Concerning Loans between the two governments.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Republic of Korea has provided loans worth $1.6 billion to Cambodia through the EDCF of the Export-Import Bank of Korea.
The loans have been for development projects in priority sectors in line with Cambodia’s National Development Strategy, the Rectangular Strategy, and the public-debt management strategy in various sectors such as infrastructure, irrigation systems, energy, clean water and sanitation, welfare and telecommunications, the ministry said.
