The middle of National Road 4 near Borey Lon Sothy in Bit Traeng commune, Sihanoukville city, suffered ground subsidence, drawing the attention of Public Works and Transport Minister Peng Ponea and technical officials. They personally inspected the subsidence site on January 6.
According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the subsidence was caused by the collapse of a culvert beneath the road that was more than 60 years old, dating back to the construction of National Road 4 with US government assistance. Water erosion beneath the road during heavy rainfall in the previous rainy season also contributed.
The minister instructed the working group to backfill the area to facilitate traffic and prevent accidents. The culvert system will be properly rebuilt, with its water inlet and outlet corrected. He said the ministry would also send additional technical teams using ROBOT cameras to inspect all transverse culvert systems along National Road 4.
Crews have now temporarily backfilled and compacted the site and installed safety signs, allowing the public to travel normally in both directions again.
By: Nget Pisant
