Preah Sihanouk Provincial Hall spokesman Kheang Phearom announced on February 11 that the construction of 34 roads throughout the province is scheduled to be finished in mid-March and will be formally inaugurated before the Khmer New Year holiday in April. He explained that all concrete had already been laid, and the laying of asphalt was 60 per cent complete. Installation of traffic lights and road signs has been competed while the installation of CCTV and painting of traffic lanes and other road markings are about half finished. “All crews are now accelerating their pace and working around the clock to finish the remaining tasks by March 15 in order for their inauguration to be formally held before the upcoming Khmer New Year,” he said. Barring schedule changes, the roads and other public construction projects in the province will be inaugurated on April 9 with Prime Minister Hun Sen presiding, Phearom said. The 34 roads under construction span 84km and are being constructed at a cost of $294 million. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held on November 16, 2019, in cooperation with six companies and two road construction engineering units. The companies involved are Heng Sambath Co Ltd; SCE Standard Construction and Engineering Co Ltd; Pisnoka International Corporation; KBH Construction Co LTD; VT Engineering Construction; and Royal Mekong Construction and Development. The two government units are the Samdech Techo Engineering Corps of Siem Reap and the Ministry of National Defence’s Engineering Division No 178 for Roads and Bridges. The National Committee for Coastal Management and Development was delegated responsibility for the management of project operations and is chaired by Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Chea Sophara. Sophara said that in order for Preah Sihanouk province to become an economic pillar of the country with modern commercial hubs that can attract tourists and drive growth, the government had invested an additional $100 million to build 11 more roads in Prey Nop and Stung Hav districts. Construction is about 30 per cent complete.