KANDAL: Senior Minister of Public Works and Transport, Sun Chanthol, said that the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway is expected to help alleviate traffic congestion on National Road No. 1, which currently experiences heavy traffic and a high risk of accidents. Speaking at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the expressway construction project connecting Phnom Penh to Bavet on the morning of June 7, Sun Chanthol said the expressway would reduce travel time to about an hour and a half, which currently takes about four hours for buses and about 5-6 hours for lorries. He added that the expressway will boost investment, trade and tourism between Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Bavet, especially when it comes to trade with Vietnam. The Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project is planned to cost $1.35 billion USD and span 135 km, from Kandal province to Bavet city. As part of the project, a bridge crossing the Mekong River is estimated to cost an additional $233 million USD, funded by the Royal Government. The entire project is overseen by the China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC) and is estimated to take 48 months to complete and hopes to be open by 2027.