From the Cambodian Daily of Saturday and Sunday August 26-27, 2006. Are Cambodian roads better than the national railway?
Large Section of Route 5 Bridge Fell Into River
National Route 5 near Sisophon Town in Banteay Meanchey province was closed for the second time in a week on Thursday night to allow additional repairs to a French colonial era bridge spanning the Tuk Thla River, officials said. More than 500 cars and trucks were backed-up on National Route 5 on Tuesday and Wednesday after a large section of the decades-old bridge fell into the river and stopped traffic, said Saing Savath, director of the province's public works and transport department, on Thursday. 'We need to repair it again on Thursday night because we feel that it will be damaged. We have to make it stronger and firm to make sure it will not be damaged again,' Saing Savath said. The bridge, which will be replaced by a new construction later this year, was damaged during the civil warof the 1980s and 1990s, he added. Chhoeung Sokhom, Banteay Meanchey provincial ploice chief blamed the damage to the bridge on overloaded trucks and complained that reckless drivers were trying to cross the unsafe bridge. 'Some drivers don't listen to the traffic police instructions,' he said. (Thet Sambath)
