Cambodia’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport has confirmed that the construction of the country’s first-ever expressway will complete as planned despite the COVID-19 crisis.

Vasim Sorya, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said late last week that as of November, the construction is 27 percent complete and the construction process has reportedly been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Generally, the construction does not seem to be affected, but the construction firm’s staff, who had left for China, have not come back yet,” he said, mentioning the delay in transportation of some construction materials due to the pandemic.

The firm has been committed to complete the construction as planned, he added.

The $2 billion Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville expressway project is being developed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). Scheduled to open by March 2023, the expressway is divided into four lanes with a total length of 190 kilometres across five cities and provinces.