Background
National roads form part of Cambodia’s core transport infrastructure and are used to connect provincial districts, border-facing areas, bridges, and other primary road corridors. Road upgrades under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport support vehicle circulation, freight movement, and integration between local roads and the national highway network.
Cambodia’s road development projects typically include carriageway paving, drainage works, bridges, road markings, signage, and safety installations as part of a single infrastructure package. Technical road standards in Cambodia commonly require supporting assets such as culverts, kilometer markers, and traffic control features so that newly opened corridors can operate as full public transport links rather than as basic paved surfaces.
In Kandal province, road links near major river crossings have a direct infrastructure function because they connect bridge approaches with district routes and other numbered national roads. The completion of National Road 23 therefore adds a formal transport corridor that links the Koh Thom Bridge area to Leuk Dek district and connects onward to National Road 14.
Key Developments
On 27 April 2026, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport announced the official opening of a section of National Road 23 in Kandal province. The inauguration was attended by Minister of Public Works and Transport Peng Ponea and presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth, representing Prime Minister Hun Manet. The ceremony also included participation by the Asian Development Bank country director in Cambodia and other national and provincial officials.
The newly opened section is 19.83 kilometers long. According to the ministry, it runs from kilometer 34+400 at the foot of Koh Thom Bridge in Chrouy Ta Kaev commune, passes through Leuk Dek commune in Koh Thom district, and continues to Peam Rang commune in Leuk Dek district, where it connects with National Road 14 at kilometer 54+233 in Kandal province.
The road has an 11-meter-wide platform and was built as an asphalt concrete road with an 8-centimeter surface layer. It includes two traffic lanes for vehicles and motorcycles traveling in both directions.
Operational Implications
The project includes three bridges with a combined length of 116.40 meters. It also includes 48 cross-road culverts, eight roadside drainage culverts with a combined length of 2,342 meters, 80 solar LED lights, road signs, pavement markings, kilometer posts, and safety posts installed in line with technical road standards.
A roundabout was also constructed at the junction descending from Koh Thom Bridge to organize vehicle movements and improve traffic safety. This feature is intended to facilitate directional flow and reduce traffic conflict at a key connection point.
The ministry stated that construction began on 20 June 2023. The official opening in April 2026 marks the completion and public commissioning of the road segment as part of Cambodia’s national transport infrastructure network.
Institutional Role
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is the lead institution responsible for planning, constructing, and operating Cambodia’s national road network. Public inauguration of completed road sections serves as an administrative milestone indicating that the infrastructure has moved from construction into formal public use.
The participation of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Asian Development Bank reflects the multi-institutional character of major transport projects in Cambodia, where road delivery may involve coordination between implementing ministries, financing institutions, and provincial authorities.
Official Source
Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT), Facebook post published on 27 April 2026.
