Background
Chodai Co., Ltd. (Japan) was contracted to provide a feasibility study, detailed engineering designs, and construction supervision for the Koh Ksach Tonle Bridge (KTB).
The KTB project uses joint financing that includes the European Investment Bank as one of the lenders.
On 21 May 2026 the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) hosted a kick-off meeting at ministry headquarters to introduce the consultant team and discuss the next-stage work plan for the bridge linking Koh Ksach Tonle to National Road No. 21. The meeting was led by State Secretary Nou Sovath and the project director, and participants included representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the European Investment Bank, the EU delegation to Cambodia, Chodai project leads, and international technical experts.
Key Developments
MPWT and Chodai executed a consultancy contract on 8 May 2026 covering the three technical phases required for project preparation and oversight: the feasibility study, detailed engineering designs, and construction supervision. The kick-off meeting served to align the consultant’s work program with the ministries and financiers that will review and clear each project stage.
Institutional Role
The MPWT is the contracting authority for the KTB project and will coordinate inter-ministerial inputs for technical, fiscal, and land-related matters. Financing oversight involves donor and lender coordination, with the EIB participating as a project financier and the Ministry of Economy and Finance engaged for budgetary and fiscal review.
Operational Implications
Planned consultant activities include delivering an FS, producing DEDs suitable for procurement, and providing construction supervision during execution; these activities establish the technical baseline required for lender appraisal and procurement. Alignment at the kick-off stage is intended to set delivery milestones for each technical output and to identify the institutional checkpoints for approval and funding disbursement.
