Neak Loeung Bridge construction to be completed before the end of 2008

Thursday, June 21, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The construction plan for the Neak Loeung bridge, or the second bridge crossing the Mekong River, will be completed by the end of 2008. This claim was made by Chhim Phalla, an official from the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and a facilitator working with the Japanese JICA organization, to the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper on Tuesday. Chhim Phalla said that the construction plan is progressing smoothly and the work being currently performed is the environmental impact study of the bridge construction. Chhim Phalla said that the environmental impact study will be completed by 2007, and after that, Japan will submit the project to a bidding process to select a construction consultant company and a contractor for the construction of the bridge. The Neak Loeung bridge will have a span of 2,500-meter, and will cost about $74 million to build. The height of the bridge at its mid-deck will be 37.5-meter so that even during rainy season (when the water level is at its highest), ships can travel underneath it easily.